


I Can't Say I'm Innocent

by CatiiaSofiia, MissChrisDaae



Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Conditioning, F/M, Forced Marriage, Past Rape/Non-con, Psychological Torture, Rape Recovery, Sith Empire, Slow Burn, Suitless Vader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-03-11 05:55:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 22
Words: 88,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13517958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatiiaSofiia/pseuds/CatiiaSofiia, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissChrisDaae/pseuds/MissChrisDaae
Summary: The Sith Empire reigns supreme in the galaxy, despite the efforts of the struggling Rebel Alliance. The Jedi are all but extinct. Darth Sidious, known to his subjects as Emperor Sheev Palpatine, has everything he desires... except a true heir.His bastard son, Darth Vader is determined to overthrow his father and claim the throne for himself. But before his plans can be put in motion, he meets Padmé Amidala and decides to adjust his plans to claim her as well.Given the choice between marriage and death, Padmé Amidala chose the former and has, for nearly ten years, been living in hell for it as she fails to conceive the heir her Emperor and husband craves. Broken and desperate, she seeks out Vader for help, unaware of just how deep his ambitions run.





	1. The Bastard and the Empress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, everyone.  
> Fair warning, we're hitting the ground running. We'll do the usual content warnings per chapter, but on the whole, as the tags indicate, this story will have _a lot_ of material centered around non-consensual sex and its aftermaths. Reader discretion is advised.  
>  The first POV switch in this chapter is as graphic as we'll get, so if you're triggered by rape, bondage or needles, skip to the next Vader POV, which starts with "Shmi was turning down the sheets on his bed when Vader returned from his evening rounds." A simplified language summary will be provided of the part you skipped at the bottom.

_Let your rage flow._ Even in a training session, Vader took this mantra to heart, allowing every measure of fury to wash over him, guiding the saber through the training droids with a speed and ferocity that left a pile of circuits and metal lying before him.

”Lord Vader." He turned and knelt as the hooded figure of Darth Sidious, better known to the galaxy as Emperor Sheev Palpatine approached.

"What is your bidding, my Master?" Vader intoned immediately. Sidious rarely liked to be kept waiting.

"My wife will be returning to Imperial Center this evening. I wish for you to be there when I greet her," the old man informed him.

Vader looked up curiously. "May I ask why?"

The Empress was a mystery and had been since her marriage to the Emperor six years ago. There were no images and records of her face on the HoloNet, and the most anyone ever saw of her now was her hands when she went out to do her charity work. The rest of her was always hidden by heavy veils and gowns that hid nearly every inch of her. Rumors ran wild about what she looked like beneath them. Some swore it was because she was hideously disfigured and ugly, but a powerful sorceress who had enchanted the Emperor. Others insisted that it was because she was so beautiful, the sight of her face could strike anyone who looked at her dead. There were those who agreed that she was beautiful, but the veils were mandated by her husband so that only he could see and possess her. Still others claimed it was some form of modesty, a tradition of Naboo, where both husband and wife had been born.

"Because I wish it, Lord Vader," Sidious croaked disdainfully. "Finish your duties for the day and then make yourself presentable before she arrives." And just as quickly as he had arrived, the old man left. Vader felt the anger and resentment boil under his skin. All his life, he had served dutifully, been the perfect and loyal son despite his bastard status, and this was his reward. Being forced to spend time with the woman who was going to take everything from him when she produced a brat of her own.

The thought briefly crossed his mind to slaughter the royal couple that evening. Then he remembered he was not yet ready. There were still protocols to be reviewed and corrected in the clones' programming.

But the Empress _would_ have to be dealt with at some point. She might not have conceived in the last six years, but that didn’t mean she’d _never_ have a child. Vader couldn’t take that chance.

“Master Vader, shall I prepare the fresher for you?” C-3PO asked, approaching him from the corner of the training room with a towel in hand. “It would not be correct protocol to greet the Empress in your current state.”

“My current state, Threepio?” Vader raised his eyebrows. “What are you trying to imply with that?”

“You are rather sweaty, master,” his protocol droid replied diplomatically. Despite Vader’s best efforts, the handmade droid’s personality circuit remained fussy and overly proper. “I should hate to see you punished for that.”

Vader rolled his eyes and grabbed the towel from the droid’s hands, cleaning his forehead and neck. “Oh, fine, Threepio, just have the fresher prepared and my best outfit ready. Tell Shmi I won’t be having dinner tonight, please.”

“Of course, sir.” Threepio started toddling off, leaving Vader alone with his handiwork and his feelings. Tonight, he would officially decide the royal couple’s fate. And if it meant death for both, he wouldn’t hesitate.

Shmi was waiting for him in his chambers, laying out the set of black robes he used for formal occasions. “Are you being sent off world for another mission, my lord?” She asked in the polite tone of a servant to her master, but there was a hint of concern in the wrinkles around her eyes.

“No, just meeting the infamous Empress, at last,” Vader replied with a crooked smile. Shmi’s lips pursed into a thin line, but she nodded.

“I understand. Would you like anything else done while you are busy this evening?”

“No. You can take the night off, Shmi, stop fussing around me, I’m a grown man,” he chuckled. “If everything goes as I plan, then the Emperor won’t terrorize the Galaxy for very much longer.” His housekeeper only nodded and bowed.

“I only want what’s best for you, my lord.” From the window, the glittering shape of a Nubian yacht began to take form clearly. The Empress was arriving. “Best hurry now.”

“Master Vader, the fresher is prepared. I would hurry, Master Vader, you don’t want to disrespect the Empress by arriving late,” Threepio fussed as he returned to their side.

Vader’s entire body tingled with an unknown sensation. There was something about the woman aboard the ship that intrigued him and made the Force sizzle with anticipation. Like their meeting has long been planned by the Force and now it was pieces of a puzzle coming together.

He managed to get cleaned, dressed and arrive moments before the yacht landed on the steps of the palace. Two protocol droids emerged first, gleaming black and red with the Imperial crest, followed by the Empress herself. She looked just as she did on the holonet, in a high-necked crimson robe decorated with golden flowers and trim and a crown that mimicked the embroidery. Her face was obscured by a wide fan that came down from the headdress, but a few locks of brown hair were visible by her neck.

Sidious extended a hand to his wife, and she placed her own small, smooth fingers on his wrinkled palm. “I am _so_ glad to have you returned to me, my dear,” the old man said, smiling coldly before looking at Vader pointedly. “My Apprentice, Darth Vader.”

Vader felt the Force sizzling with fear and despair around the petite woman hiding beneath the thick layers of clothing. Although his face betrayed no emotion, his high sensitivity created a turmoil within. He promptly bowed, as the good and loyal subject that he was. “Your Highness, it is an honor for me to finally be able to meet you,” he said huskily and with a hint of a smile. She only inclined her head in acknowledgment, but he felt the Force tremble.

“There is no need for us all to stand out here,” Sidious said, either ignorant of his wife’s distress or simply unbothered by it as he led her into the palace and towards one of the private dining rooms. Out of Sidious’ sight, Vader frowned deeply at the turmoil he felt and as she passed by him, he felt an electrical current go through his nerves. His frown deepened, but he schooled his expression into a neutral one and followed the royal couple inside.

He had to wait for both of them to sit first, but as the Empress took her place, Sidious waved a hand. “I give you leave to show yourself and to speak here. Lord Vader will not care.”

Fingers trembling, the Empress reached up and parted the fan from the center, revealing the face of the most exquisite woman Vader had ever seen. Wide, but angular, with rosy cheeks and lips, warm brown eyes, a perfectly shaped nose and a mole on her cheek that should have marred her beauty, but only added to it instead. “I am honored to meet you too, my lord,” she said, her voice quivering.

Vader’s blue eyes, stained with golden spots, widened in surprise and awe as he saw her for the very first time. Her beauty was transcendent, the beauty of an Angel that you would constantly hear in the pilots' tales. But her expression was accentuated by an unmasked fear. She was deathly pale and the way her voice quivered as she spoke, the underlying tone of sadness and desperation, it made his cold heart beat a little faster. He said nothing and paid her no compliments. Sidious would not allow it and it would probably bring some sort of punishment for him or the woman that stood in front of him.

One thing was certain for Lord Vader from that moment on. He was the true heir to the throne. Future Emperor and rightful Dark Lord of the Sith. He knew that the Empress was going to be his. His wife, his form of beauty and he would cherish it in a way that he knew Sidious had never. A primal part of him wanted to claim her, make her his own. A surge of protectiveness overcame him and he doubled his mind shields to keep this  _obsession_ from being known to his Master. His monster of a father.

He turned to Sidious, an old corpse who was weakening with the times and found himself with a new fountain of strength and motivation. Vader no longer had only one goal, but two. The throne and the Empress. And he would have both, just as soon as his red blade tore through Sidious’ heart.

* * *

 

The few moments Padmé had alone in her chambers after that nerve-wracking dinner with the mysterious Lord Vader were the closest thing she knew to comfort in the gilded cage of the palace. But they were cut short by the arrival of the service droids her husband had assigned to attend her. She winced at the sight of what one of them was holding but did not protest as the empty-handed one started stripping the scarlet robe off her body, along with her headdress. But it left the pins in place. The Emperor did not like his wife’s hair to be in the way.

The first droid unbound her corset and removed her underwear, and Padmé swallowed the shame and disgust that rose in her as the second droid began to wrap her in the black straps that passed for a garment. The web of leather bit into her skin as it was locked in place with the chain-like fastenings, reminding her that even the slave girls in Hutt palaces were afforded a little more coverage than she was. Their garments were designed to make them appealing, this was practically a harness. Fitting for a broodmare.

“Do you know why Lord Vader joined us this evening?” Padmé flinched at the sound of her husband’s voice coming from behind her, interrupting her thoughts.

“I,” she swallowed nervously, fearing a trap as he circled her. “I would never presume to know your mind, my lord.”

“At least you learn _some_ lessons.” He reached out and pinched at her exposed nipples, sending a shock of Sith lightning through her body. Padmé whimpered but forced herself not to pull back. “What did they say?” he asked, resuming his pacing to stand behind her.

“I am completely healthy. And fertile,” she choked out, praying the response would please him.

“Then why do you continue to fail me?” he demanded, and the Force slammed her forward, flipping her so that she landed on the bed facing up. With a flick of her husband’s finger, the binders extended from the bedposts, locking Padmé in place so that her legs were spread wide and her hands pinned on either side of her head.

“I’m trying, my lord—” she protested, but his only response was to push her knees up— with the Force, as usual. His exacting nature required everything to be perfect. “Please—”

“We have lost a month, Amidala.” He spat her old name. “For  _nothing_. You know what that means.”

“No, please, no,” she whimpered as a new droid entered the room, a medical one with a needle extending from one of its arms. “My lord, please!” He did not respond or even look at her as the droid injected the serum into one of the patches of skin exposed on her abdomen. She swallowed down the pain as the mixture started to set in.

She should have been used to it by now. Any night she did not do her duty, he made her take the fertility supplements. And then he punished her while he waited for them to take effect. That was going to start at any moment, just as soon as the droid had finished preparing her. It was coating her womanhood with the usual lubricant when suddenly it stopped. Lip quivering, she looked up at her husband, not daring to hope. “You do not deserve it,” he informed her, and her spirits began to plummet.

“But the doctors s-said it was best that—”

“I am tired of your excuses and your failings.” And without another word, she felt the punishments start.

It started with the memories. If anything had caused her even the slightest bit of pain or fear in her past, he found it in her mind and he made her relive every single moment of it. So many different sensations at once overwhelmed her and left her a shaking mess of silent tears, and it only got worse as the next part set in. He took away her senses, left her blind, deaf and lost, screaming without sound. And then the Force began to assault her from the inside. He would never physically harm her, he needed her in good health. But he could make it feel like she was being ripped apart and burned.

“Please, please, I’ll be good!” she begged. “Please just let it stop!”

He slammed into her, forcing his member deeper and deeper until she could feel every inch of him inside her. It kept repeating, again and again. There was the unmistakable flash of pain that came from him tearing her with the force of his thrusts, but she bit down the sobs of pain, knowing that he disliked hearing such things. Finally, she felt him release into her, and let out a gasp of relief.

“Do not move,” he warned, producing the final part of her attire. Padmé winced as he slowly withdrew his member and replaced it with the custom-made belt designed to keep every drop of seed inside her. The artificial phallus was uncomfortably large, filling up every inch of her. “Tell me what you are, Amidala,” her husband commanded as he locked the device into place.

“Your prize,” she answered automatically, knowing what he wanted to hear her say, and hating how true every word of it was. “Good for nothing but breeding. I sold myself to you gladly and willingly because I’m a filthy little whore. I exist only to further your glory and that of your Empire”

“And are you a good whore?”

“No. I’ve failed in my one purpose yet again.”

“And that is why Lord Vader joined us this evening.” He stood, keeping her chained in place, and she knew she would remain that way for the rest of her night. “As long as you fail me, my  _bastard_ stands to inherit the throne. And if he does, I can assure you, he will not make your life comfortable. Perhaps even sell you to one of the Hutts. He has a history with them.”

Padmé looked down in shame and fear. “I am very lucky to be yours, my lord.”

“Indeed you are. Show some gratitude for that and keep your part of the bargain.” He left her there, and once the doors closed, Padmé finally allowed herself to cry. The droids returned to unbind her hair so that she could sleep without the pins jabbing into her head. They did not offer comfort since they weren’t programmed for such things.

She had been sixteen when he’d caught her using her position as Queen of Naboo to pass information to the Rebel Alliance and given her the ultimatum of death for herself and the entire planet, or a life as his bride. At the time, it had seemed an easy choice, but now, she could not remember the last time she had gone a night without weeping. Naboo remained safe for now, but she was always terrified that, at some point, his patience would run thin to the point where her beloved home would pay the price where she could not.

The Force had shown him that she would be the mother of the greatest dynasty of Force users the galaxy had ever seen. He wanted that dynasty to be his, no matter the cost. The two years she had been in his custody waiting for her to reach the age of majority on Naboo had been a special kind of torture, powerless to stop him as he methodically ripped information from her head to destroy the Rebels and crush every dream she had ever had in order to reduce her to the wretched creature she was now, completely subservient and dependent upon him.

Let Vader take the throne and sell her into slavery, let him  _execute_ her, it could not be worse than what she was enduring now.

The medical droid injected another supplement into her, this one to raise the likelihood of conception and laced with a sedative. Slowly, Padmé’s sobs turned to hiccups, and then the mercy of the darkness swallowed her.

* * *

Shmi was turning down the sheets on his bed when Vader returned from his evening rounds. His face was blank and his eyes distant, lost in his own thoughts. Shmi sighed, knowing that he would never return from a meeting with Sidious in a good mood.  “Did it not go well?”

“It wasn’t what I expected,” Vader mumbled, removing the heavy cloak from his shoulders and throwing it to the nearest chair. Shmi held back on her eye roll as she grabbed the cloak and folded it neatly over the back of the chair. “The Empress, she...she was not what I had envisioned.”

“Which of the rumors were you listening to?” His housekeeper asked, as she then grabbed his pillow and fluffed it.

“I’ve heard so many,” Vader snorted and sat by the window overseeing the busy skyline of the Imperial City. “That she was an ugly beast, an enchanting sorceress, scarred... nothing had me prepared for what I’ve encountered.”

Shmi turned to the Sith with curiosity gleaming in her warm brown eyes. “And what was that, my lord?”

“Pure, exquisite, unreal beauty.”

She shook her head and sighed sadly, memories of her own, hard times resurfacing. “That poor child. You may be the first person the Emperor has allowed to see her since their engagement. Aside from him, of course.”

“How could a woman as beautiful as she is marry something like _him_?” Vader asked, clearly upset.

“He is the Emperor, do you think she could refuse?”

“You think she’s his wife against her will?” He replied, raising his eyebrows.

“I cannot imagine why a girl as young as her would want a husband old enough to be her grandfather, especially one with the Emperor’s,” Shmi swallowed, her knuckles turning white for a moment, “tastes. Perhaps her parents arranged it. That does still happen on some worlds. A— My lord, why this curiosity about her?”

Vader missed the lapse and Shmi’s reaction, as he was busy thinking about the Empress, his eyes fixated on the moving speeders and the strobing lights of the buildings surrounding the Palace. “Because I decided that I want her. And that she’ll be mine,” he stated, an arrogance and confidence typical of a powerful twenty-year-old Sith. “The Empress will belong to me, just as the Empire will.”

“Careful! You know he might be listening!” Shmi scolded.

“I’m more powerful than he is,” Vader boasted and Shmi just scowled at his attitude. He could be a brat. “Trust me, he’s not listening and he hasn't been listening for a while. Dear old Dad is probably more concerned with the fact that his wife can’t conceive. It is not her fault, though. I’ve hacked one of the droids at the medical center and I’ve discovered he’s sterile.”

“You’re living proof that that isn’t true,” Shmi reminded him, shaking her head. Vader made a face at the fact.

“Men can become sterile with age. I’ve always been a fluke,” he muttered annoyed.

“This is risky. All of it. I don’t like it.” Shmi pursed her lips.

“This is certainly not correct protocol!” Threepio added from the corner where he was recharging, and Shmi sighed.

“There is nothing we can to dissuade you from this path, is there?”

“No, there isn’t. Starting tomorrow I’ll persuade one of her aids to spy on her for me. Right now, I need to focus on eliminating Sidious. Then I’ll marry her and cement my claim to the throne.”

“She doesn’t have aids. The Emperor only has droids attend her. Droids and the Imperial Guard, and you know how loyal they are to him,” Shmi informed him. “And what if she doesn’t want to marry you?”

“No human contact besides the Emperor?” Vader questioned, surprised. “Doesn’t matter, I’ll change a droid’s circuit to spy for me, then. Shmi, it’s pure logic. I’ll be the next Emperor. She’ll keep being an Empress and we have to admit, I will be a much better fit than Sidious ever was.”

Threepio turned to Shmi. “I have a bad feeling about this. The odds of this going—”

“Never tell me the odds, Threepio,” Vader groaned, annoyed. “Why don’t you charge in silence?”

“Yes, Master Vader.”

Shmi smoothed down the covers on his bed and gave him a bow. “Good night, my lord. I don’t approve of this plan, but I know there’s nothing I can do to stop you.”

“Shmi…” Vader stopped her before she left the bedroom and he secured her arms. “Trust me. This is the start of a new era for the Galaxy. You know me. Putting my nature aside, I want peace for the Galaxy.”

“I do not want to see you sacrifice your soul in the process. Or forfeit your life if you fail.” She removed herself from his grip. “You’re going down a very dangerous path, my lord, tread carefully.”

Vader dropped his arms to his sides. He always valued Shmi’s advice and bid by her warnings. A nanny to him on the beginning and a housekeeper since he had been a teenager, she was an invaluable part of his life and maybe the only other creature he could trust besides the Captain of the 501st and Threepio. He knew she worried...she worried like she was a mother-hen, but at the moment, there was not a reason for concern. He had the Emperor locked in his sight and a foolproof plan.

Nothing could go wrong.

The Empire and the Empress would both be his by the end of the month.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you skipped the middle: Padmé is undressed by droids and put into bondage gear before being injected with a fertility shot and held in place as Sidious forces her to relive her mental traumas before he rapes her then leaves. Padmé reflects on her involvement with the Rebels, which brought her to this point before passing out.


	2. The Promise and the Dance

Padmé stood nervously at the door of the training room, torn between fleeing back to her wing and staying to do what she’d intended by coming here. Her fingers rubbed at the scarlet pattern embroidered on her black dress while her heart continued to pound in her chest. Readjusting the black lace veil that matched her sleeves so that it covered her face a little more thoroughly, she bit down on her lip, using the pain as a reminder that there was little else she _could_ do, given the years of failure. She was out of options, this was the only way forward that she could see.

She opened the door, hovering at the edge so that she could still flee if he threatened her. “L-Lord Vader?” she stammered, her breath catching as she saw him.

He was in the center of a ring of droids that had been slashed to pieces, his saber glowing hungrily and casting its bloody sheen over his sweat-slick bare torso.  For once, she was grateful for the veil hiding her face, for he would surely have seen her blushing in discomfort.

She hadn’t seen a man in _any_ state of undress since the consummation ceremony at her wedding. After that first night, her husband never stayed long enough to require disrobing, and he had made it quite clear she was not worth the effort. Vader practically radiated raw strength and power like this, and she didn’t know if that frightened her more or less than the seemingly endless well of malice that she was bound to for life. “Lord Vader, I would have words with you. P-please.”

Vader was surprised to hear her voice, to  _feel_ her presence. To his current knowledge, Sidious kept his Empress locked away, far from prying eyes. He turned the lightsaber off and gave the Empress a tiny, overly confident smile. “Of course, your highness, but if you don’t mind…” with a flick of his wrist, the veil that covered her face lifted, leaving her beauty open for him to explore. “That is much better. I’m sorry for the mess, I was not expecting company,” he waved at the destroyed droids at his feet. “Clearly,” he smirked, noticing how uncomfortable his bare torso made her, but doing nothing to hide his figure.

She looked away from him nervously, her face growing even more flushed at the lack of a barrier between them. “I need your help,” she whispered, her head lowered in shame. “But it must stay between the two of us.”

“No one is listening, your highness, and I am but your loyal subject,” he stated, taking a few steps forward, closing some of the distance between them. “How may I assist you?”

She swallowed, gathering her courage before she looked up at him. “I have tried in vain to conceive for years, but nothing has worked, and I fear… outside help may be required. I didn’t know who else I could turn to.” _Whore,_ she heard her husband’s in her head as soon as the words left her mouth. “Please, I beg of you. You’re my only hope.”

Vader blinked at her blatant request and he closed the remaining space between them. “Are you asking to bear my child?” He asked her softly. So close together, the height difference was noticeable. He was probably a head taller than she was and Vader found it endearing.

She bit her lip, thinking of how to distance this from the way he was phrasing it. “No one else could know, if my husband ever learned, he’d be furious, and we would both pay. But the child would be the next ruler of the Empire. The head of a dynasty. But it couldn’t be yours. Not legally.”

He tilted his head to the side, quiet for a few seconds. “So, Sidious would raise my child?” He asked, but waited for no answer. “Over my dead body, your highness,” Vader whispered, coldly.

Padmé dropped to her knees as sobs began to overwhelm her. It was a pathetic sight, tears staining her cheeks as the veil began to slip forward once again. “Then you may as well kill me now, for you have surely signed my death warrant. You and my own failure.”

“I said I would not have the Emperor raise my child. I didn’t say I wouldn’t give _you_ a child,” Vader frowned, worried, as she fell to her knees. He offered her his hands to help her stand. “Please, your highness. Listen to what I have to say. I promise that your hell will end soon.”

She didn’t move, didn’t take his hand. “I don’t understand. There is nothing else you can possibly do to help me.”

“Your highness, please, stand. I don’t want you on your knees,” Vader insisted, narrowing his eyes, hands still outstretched to help her. She braced herself against the wall instead. “Not to me. Let me help you.”

“It’s better for both of us if you do not touch me.”

With a sigh, he took her hands and pulled her up. The energy that ran through his entire body, electrifying his soul was stronger than the day before and he felt a pull to this woman like no other before. “I will happily give you a child, your highness,” he paused, and again, with the Force, pushed the stubborn veil back, away from her face. “But only when you become _my_ Empress.”

She stumbled back, her chest rising and falling rapidly as her eyes widened in shock. She must have misheard him, there was no way he would be so brazen. “ _What?_ ”

“I’m the only heir to the throne,” Vader explained, bluntly. “I intend to murder the Emperor, my father, and take his place. Take what’s rightfully mine before he destroys the Galaxy once and for all,” he explained. “I’ve sat quietly, patiently. Served as his pet to do his dirty work. He has underestimated how strong I have become in the Force. How much I can accomplish. I might be a Sith, your highness, but I still have a conscience. A soul that can rule the Empire and spare the life of the millions of innocents that die every day under his command.”

“You— you’re talking treason. I should tell him,” she said, taking another step back only to hit the wall.

“What will you tell him? That when you asked me to help you get pregnant, I told you my plans to betray him?” Vader raised his eyebrows. “That’s not very smart, you’ll be the first one he would kill for that.”

“He won’t kill me. Not until he has what he wants from me,” she whispered hollowly.

“If he discovers you betrayed him...what do you think he’ll do to you?” Vader questioned. “I can hold my own on a lightsaber duel, but can you survive against his powers?”

“What do you know about the DS-1 Orbital Battle Station?” she asked, looking up at him with cold detachment.

Vader nodded. “The Death Star. To put it bluntly, it’s a weapon that destroys planets. It’s under my command. We use it to keep the planets in line, make sure no one dares to defy the Emperor’s orders.”

“Including me. Naboo will pay the price and my punishment will be my survival.”

“Then don’t say a word,” he whispered. “If he’s gone, nothing will threaten Naboo’s survival and you’ll be free from his grasp. A win for both of us.”

She shook her head, not daring to hope. “There’s no way. You can’t possibly beat him. No matter how powerful you might be, he’ll outsmart you.”

A slow grin stretched itself on Vader’s face. “When you’re marrying me, you’ll know you’re wrong. Until then, your highness…” he trailed off and in an impulse, leaned down to gently brush her lips against hers, lingering for a few moments. “...we are both going to keep quiet about today,” he whispered.

Padmé gasped as his mouth brushed hers. She had not been kissed in over a decade, not since she ended her relationship with Ian Lago. Her fingers flew to her lips as she stared at him in disbelief before returning her veil to its proper place and fleeing back to her chambers.

* * *

“I need him dead,” Vader stated bluntly, as he burst inside his private wing, throwing his lightsaber and cloak haphazardly, Threepio rushing to grab the pieces. “ **Now**. He’s shipping me off to Zygerria next week, hoping that the Queen will eat me alive, probably, the woman is the epitome of despicable!” He complained, Shmi widening her eyes as the young Sith looked like a living bundle of rage. “By the way, I kissed the Empress today—”

“You did _what_?”

“Master Vader, that is _treason_!”

“—and I liked it too much to keep waiting on my plans. Do you know the amount of self-control I needed to stop there?”

“Then I suppose I shouldn’t tell you that droid you hacked is waiting to report to you?” Shmi asked, arching her eyebrow.

“Oh,” Vader blinked and turned around to see the droid patiently and dutifully waiting for him. “Good, good,” he sat in an armchair. “I need to know _everything_.”

The droid rattled off the Empress’ daily schedule, mostly empty, but with the occasional charity appearance. It was only after dinner that things began to get detailed. “The Empress is prepared for the Emperor immediately following dinner, changed appropriately and prepared with the standard fertility supplements,” it droned emotionlessly. “Security footage is available.”

A chill went down Vader’s spine.

“I don’t think you should watch it,” Shmi whispered, laying one hand on Vader’s shoulder.

“What exactly is the security footage about?” Vader asked the droid.

“The Empress’ evening routine.”

“Don’t,” Shmi warned. “It will only upset you further.”

“I need to know what he does to her. I mean, I know how you try to conceive a child but there’s something else, isn’t there?” He glances between the droid and Shmi. “What does the Emperor do to his wife?”

The droid began to play the footage, showing the Empress bound in place on the bed, wearing an outfit made of chains and leather, her face contorted in pain as she tried to keep her tears in. The Emperor was barely in the holo, the droid’s footage stayed on the Empress’ face.

Vader paled and bile rose to his throat as he stood abruptly. “Turn it off,” he barked, face twisted in anger.

“I think we can understand that it isn’t a mutual relationship,” Shmi says coldly. “He rapes and abuses that girl every night.”

“I’m going to be sick,” Vader mutters, pinching the bridge of his nose as he shuts his eyes close, rage and anger flooding his mind, too much for him to contain as everything in the room begins to shake. _That sick, twisted son of a bitch...killing him one time won’t be enough to make him pay…_

“Breathe,” Shmi reminded him. “You can’t let this cloud your mind if you truly mean to kill him.”

“No wonder she’s terrified of him,” Vader snapped. “She’s in constant despair, horrified that a small gesture will only hurt her further or destroy her planet. She is his wife _only_  to save Naboo and no one even appreciates her sacrifice or does anything to save her. Oh, I am going to kill him,” his eyes flashed a dangerous yellow, the blue gone. “It will be a painful and horrific death, just like he deserves and it _still_ won’t be enough.”

“Breathe before you—” Shmi was cut off by a nearby mirror shattering, vibrating from the rage Vader was putting into the Force. The housekeeper hesitated, used to the young Sith’s outbursts but having enough respect to keep quiet.

“I despise him,” Vader gritted his teeth before controlling his breathing. “His days are numbered.”

* * *

Padmé sat beside her husband on the dais, watching the elite of Imperial Center and the galaxy mill about the ballroom. This was meant to be a celebration of the Empire’s creation, but she felt like an animal in a cage. And she knew her husband was thriving on every moment of her misery.

Beneath her thick red veil and wickedly pointed crown, she saw Vader passing through the crowd, and her stomach twisted in knots.

Sensing her, Vader stopped and bowed to the royal couple, eyes glancing meaningfully at the Empress. On Sidious’ side, a serving droid brought another cup of wine. One that had been filled moments earlier by Shmi. Sidious took it without so much as a glance and drank as he dragged his finger along his wife’s arm, tracing the black velvet patterns on her skintight dress. On the arms of her throne, the Empress’ knuckles turned white.

“I am glad to see you returned from Zygerria in time for this momentous occasion, Lord Vader, I thought the charms of Queen Miraj would keep you detained,” Sidious remarked.

“But, your Majesty, haven’t you heard?” Vader pretended to be truly surprised. “The Queen died,” he said, his voice mournful but eyes alight with mischief. “I heard she...well...choked.” Vader fought the grin that threatened to sprout on his face. “Quite the mystery actually, her guards couldn’t figure out how she managed to do that.”

Sidious let out a little croak of a laugh which quickly turned into coughing and wheezing as he gripped his wife’s arm.

“My lord?” Padmé asked in a panic. “Are you well?”

“Yes, your Majesty, do we need to call an Emdee to check on your health?” Vader asked, radiating innocence while his eyes said otherwise. “We wouldn’t want you to feel ill. Not on a joyous occasion such as this one.”

Sidious swiped at Vader with his cane, scowling. “I will retire for the time being.” He affixed Padmé with a sickly yellow glare. “Do not presume to be late this evening, wife. Or to flout yourself in my absence.”

“Of course, my lord.” Padmé kept her head bowed as they both rose and Sidious stalked out of the room, escorted by his guards. The hall fell silent for a moment as the guests watched the scene unfolding. Then Padmé retook her place on the smaller throne and clapped her hands twice, signaling the band to start playing once again.

“Now that we got rid of him, shall we dance, your highness?” Vader turned to the Empress and offered her his hand covered by the black leather of his gloves.

“It would not be proper, Lord Vader,” she whispered.

“Well, it wasn’t proper for you to request my help in conceiving and it wasn’t proper of me to have kissed you in the training rooms. But, we both did those actions, so why not indulge in such an innocent little dance?” Vader gave her a crooked smile, hand still outstretched.

“People are watching,” she pointed out.

“Let them get used to the idea of us, your highness,” Vader replied.

“But my husband—”

Vader huffed, making the hair that fell in his eyes dance, as he took one step forward and scooped her hand, tugging her to the dancefloor. People watched, shocked, that the Empress would mingle in such a way. “You were taking way too long to be convinced. Better to ask forgiveness than permission, I guess,” he smirked, as he twirled her on the dancefloor.

She did not say a word, her mouth hanging open in shock beneath the veil as he pulled her closer. “We should not be doing this.”

“I should not be plotting my father’s murder, yet…” he trailed off with a simple shrug. “You’re too tense. You should relax and enjoy the dance. I promise you that he won’t punish you for having a little bit of fun.”

“You know very little about your father, my lord. I should… I should go to him. It’s my duty as his _wife_.” She pulled away, but he kept hold of her hands, drawing her back to him.

“ _Padmé…_ ” for the first time, he used her real name, his hand coming down to squeeze her waist reassuringly. “He won’t need you tonight. Or any other night until he disappears from our lives. I promise you, you’re safe with me.”

“An empty promise made to get what you want from a whore,” she retorted, now pushing him back forcefully. “But I cannot be bought.”

“Alright, I know I’ve done little to earn your trust, but you’ll see for yourself. I’m very handy with droids and have a couple of trusted friends eager to help us both. Tonight, no one will bother you. I don’t mean to buy you, Padmé, I just wish to protect you.”

“Stop it. Please, for both our sakes, stop it. I can’t be protected. I can’t be saved. And you’re a fool.” Without another word, she turned and fled the hall, making the journey to her husband’s private chambers. Sidious lay on the bed, writhing and hissing in pain. The medical droids and Imperial Guards gave her the briefest of looks before gesturing for her to return to the hall.

“Convinced?” Vader asked, finding her in the empty hall, having followed her after she ran from the ball.

“I will not yield to you,” she warned, brushing past him. “I succumbed to my own weakness once before, it won’t happen again. Now leave me alone.”

“When did I ask you to do that?” Vader questioned, following her. “I know it must be hard for you to believe, but I have good intentions. Or do you wish to suffer eternally under his thumb?”

“What do you think made me his wife besides _good intentions_?” Padmé demanded just as she made it to the doors of the great hall. “I won’t tell you again, Vader. Stay away from me. For your own sake, if not mine.”

Vader stopped in his tracks, watching her walk away. “You’ll thank me when you’re a free woman, your highness.”

“My freedom is not something you can give back to me,” she said, her hand resting on the doorway. “Not you, or anyone else, not until I die. Good evening, my lord.” With that, she swept back into the hall and sat upon her throne, and even if her face had not been veiled, her expression would have seemed just as unreadable.


	3. The Coup and the Wedding

“We’re ready whenever you are, sir,” Rex announced. “Everything’s in place. We’re just waiting on your orders.”

Vader tore his gaze away from the silver moon above the Imperial City. The protocols embedded in the clones during their production in Kamino had been wiped out and now, all the troops around the Galaxy were under his command. The 501st Battalion was ready to storm the Palace, eliminate the Imperial Guard and make Palpatine’s court, prisoner. Vader gave a sharp nod to his Captain and place the black hood on his head, so his enemies could only see the glowing golden eyes of the young Sith. He ignited his angry red blade.

“Go.”

The single, cold command, had his troops marching inside the walls, with him leading the charge. There were droids and Guards coming their way, but Vader only saw red. He went through them like they were nothing! Left the droids in pieces and the guards in shreds. His focus was the throne room. His focus was on the man that had fathered him, had caused his mother’s ultimate death and raised him as a pet, worth nothing more than a slave inside a Palace and whose sole purpose was to kill.

“Rex, guarantee the Empress’ safety at all costs,” Vader barked his command and from the corner of his eye, he saw Rex nod and disappear with a handful of his troops.

He used the Force to shove the throne room doors open, ripping them off their hinges. His Master - his  _ Father -  _ tried to look collected, but Vader sensed his distress as he knew his force was weakening, as he sat on his throne. A throne that by the dawn of the following day, would be his.

“You traitorous little brat,” he said, shaking his head. “After everything I’ve given you.”

“Oh, I am so sorry I am not more grateful for the slavery I have endured since birth,” Vader hissed. “Your time has come,  _ Father. _ ”

“You will pay for this.” Sidious flicked his wrist, sending a wave of lightning straight at Vader. He deflected it with his blade, reflecting the lightning to a column, making the Palace shake as half of it came tumbling down.

“You’ve taught me well. Too well for your own good,” Vader gloated. “What kept me training and learning was the fact that I would one day end your life and take everything that it’s rightfully mine. This Empire. The Throne. The  _ woman. _ ”

Sidious scowled, igniting his lightsaber as he stood, his withered body shaking from the effort. “You will die for this treason.”

“You can try, but with all that Quell poison running through your icy veins, it will be difficult and let’s not forget that you haven’t been able to beat me at a lightsaber duel in  _ years.  _ That’s why you’ve stopped training me personally and forcing yourself on a  _ girl  _ to conceive an heir that would steal what’s rightfully mine.”

“I should have killed you the moment you were born!” Sidious screeched, vaulting forward with his blade swinging wildly.

Vader fenced off the attack expertly and effortlessly. As Sidious’ face grew angrier and deformed, Vader smile codly as he watched him weakening. As their blades met and their faces were close, he grinned. “You lose,” he pronounced and with a Force blast, he sent the Emperor flying towards the throne, breaking it. Using the Force, he jumped forward and drove the red blade through Sidious’ heart. “Now you’re going to die, knowing that I have everything you never wanted to give me and I will have everything that you wanted. Power. A dynasty. Goodbye, your majesty,” he hissed and drove his blade deeper.

Sidious’ dying screech made the glass windows of the throne room shatter, as the man’s body withered to an unrecognizable state. Vader stood, lighter than before. There were no strings on him. As he looked over at the Imperial City, he couldn’t wait until the dawn arrived and with it, a new era for the Empire.  _ His  _ Empire.

* * *

 

Padmé heard the blaster fire from her bedroom and winced. Vader’s promise was coming true, and she knew that when the battles stopped, he’d be coming for her.

_ I should never have gone to him. _

“My lady.” One of her droids approached, holding two white garments. “You are to put these on.” She stayed rooted to the spot, mutely shaking her head. “I will dress you if you do not do it yourself.”

“N-no,” she stammered. The droid ignored her, stripping off her robe and nightgown, forcing her into the dress. It was made of silk as thin as flimsi, decorated with shimmering floral embroidery, and left her arms bare, the neckline tapering down to reveal the curves of her body. She felt almost naked, even after the droid added the gossamer cloak that matched the gown.

“You will wait here now, my lady,” the droid told her. Padmé sank down onto her bed, shoulders shaking. It was happening again. And she couldn’t do anything to stop it.

It wasn’t clear just how much time had passed until the sounds of the battle receded, but then she heard the knock at the door. “Your highness?” It was a clone trooper’s voice. “I need to take you to the throne room.”

“I’m not going.”

“I have my orders, milady.” The door opened, revealing that the trooper had his gun out. “Please.”

“Please, don’t make me do this,” she begged.

“Milady, I promise, you’ll be safe. But you need to come with me now.” Reluctantly, and knowing she didn’t really have any choice in the matter, Padmé followed him to the throne room. Vader was waiting at the steps of the dais with a Pontifex. A gold protocol droid and a petite older woman with a fearful and worried expression were there as well, at his side. She immediately tried to turn and run the other way, but the clone caught her arm. “Can’t let you do that, milady.”

“Rex,” Vader said, a warning note to it as he ran down the dais and came to meet her. “Thank you for bringing her to me,” he said to his Captain. “Padmé?” He muttered. “Come with me,” he offered her his hand. “Please?” He added. “I am not going to hurt you, you have my word.”

“Don’t make me do this,” she said again, shaking her head. “Please, don’t. Execute me, sell me to the Hutts, just not this!”

“Padmé, it’s complicated. Our union will solidify my claim to the throne and protect your life. Do you know how many people out there want you dead? It doesn’t matter if you never did anything, but just because you were  _ his  _ wife they want you gone and I can make that feeling go away. I can give you, me, this Empire a brand new start. Please believe me that I won’t treat you as he did.” Vader explained.

“Why should I?” she demanded.

“Because I don’t intend to use you the way he did. To force myself on you in that disgusting way. Because, and consider these my personal vows, Naboo will never be targeted by Imperial forces or the Death Star. I will not bed you tonight, or any night, until you allow me to. I don’t want a dynasty where my children are the product of  _ rape, _ ” he hissed the last word lowly. “Marry me to heal you. To heal this Galaxy.”

She hesitated, staring at the eyes that were mottled with blue and golden. “I will never be what you want me to be, Vader.”

“Never is a very definitive word, Padmé, you have just forgotten what you’re capable of,” Vader gave her a crooked smile and offered her his hand again. “Shall we?”

Her hand shaking, just as it had been the first time he’d seen her, she slowly accepted it, and nodded.

“You look like an Angel, by the way,” Vader commented as he squeezed her hand gently. “Much more fitting to your beauty than those hideous robes Palpatine had you wear,” he muttered.

“I’m glad it pleases you,” she muttered automatically. “My lord.”

“Can your first vow to me be honesty and not robotic responses? I already have Threepio for that.” Vader quipped as he helped her up the steps of the dais. “We’re ready, Pontifex.”

The old man hesitated, but then began reading from his text. Padmé stared ahead mutely, meekly nodding and only speaking when asked by the Pontifex. “I accept Darth Vader as my husband,” she recited dully. “I promise my loyalty and devotion until death parts us.”

Vader avoided an eye roll, but proceeded with the standard vows to officiate their union. The Pontifex looked distinctly uncomfortable as he said, “May faith, fortune, and the light of your love guide and protect you always in your life together.”

Vader gently tugged Padmé towards him and raises one hand to cradle her cheeks, his eyes gazing over her face. “You’re safe with me,” he whispered before he leaned down and tentatively brushed his lips over hers, kissing her softly. She stayed tense and unresponsive, but at least she wasn’t pushing him away. Eventually, she’d come around to him. He just needed time to prove what he’d promised.

* * *

Within the hour, the announcement and recordings of the wedding were circulating the HoloNet. Some of the gossip channels were outraged, claiming it was indecent for a man to marry his father’s widow, or wondering how willing the Empress was, but just as many were remarking on her beauty, now that her face was finally revealed to the galaxy.

Padmé, for her part, was waiting in her room with dread for her new husband to come and claim her. No matter what he said, she knew it was just a matter of time.  _ You are a whore, and all you will ever be good for is breeding,  _ Sidious’ voice echoed in her head. She looked over at the droids, waiting for them to say something, or start undressing her. Anything other than this horrible waiting.

The first one through the door was the gold protocol droid that she had seen at Vader’s side during the ceremony, but she had never seen him before. He walked steadily and there was something definitely quirky about him.

“Good evening, Mistress Padmé, I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations and I am delighted to be at your service,” he said in a chirpy voice. “Master Vader requested me to inform you that he will soon be joining you. As for you all,” he turned to the droids standing in the room. “Dismissed. Indefinitely.”

The droids took their cue, and left. “I can assure you, Mistress Padmé, that they won’t bother you again, I’ll be your loyal servant. I am able to speak and translate over six million different forms…”

“Threepio,” Vader’s voice interrupted the protocol droid as he gave him an exasperated look, “I am sure Padmé will be very pleased to meet you thoroughly later. But Shmi needs you now to finish the preparations.”

“Certainly, Master Vader,” Threepio nodded and left the room. Vader sighed and closed the door behind him.

“I apologize for Threepio, he can be a bit...overly enthusiastic.”

“You do not need to apologize, my lord. You’re the Emperor now,” Padmé said, staring dully at the wall as she removed the cloak and started to do the same with her dress. Vader’s eyes widened. He had told her he was not going to bed her, so why was she acting like this? “Everything is as you wish it to be.” The bodice fell away, revealing the mottled pink scars that decorated her fair skin, souvenirs of Sidious’ lightning. 

“Padmé, no,” Vader closed his eyes and shook his head. “I told you I was not going to bed you, didn’t I?” He removed his own cloak and, taking a couple of steps forward, placed it around her shoulders. “There. You don’t need to undress yourself in front of me and while I am the Emperor, I don’t want a droid for a wife that just tells me  _ yes  _ because it thinks that is the answer I’m looking for.”

“What do you want me to do?” she asked, looking at him with wide, fearful eyes that betrayed her confusion. “Just tell me, and I’ll do it!”

“Can you calm yourself down? You’re shaking. I promised you before I wouldn’t bed you. I’m not here for that,” he said softly and bent down to grab her cloak, placing it on top of the bed. “Tell me something, Padmé, how long has it been since you’ve seen your family?”

She looked down at her hands and let out a sob, this time of remorse. “N-not since the betrothal was signed and I was brought here for my training.”

“Have you maintained any kind of contact?”

“Your father said I needn’t concern myself with such things. Only with providing him an heir.” She was answering automatically, without any emotion.

Vader winced. “Please, don’t call him my father. He never justified having that name. Not with me.” 

“Forgive me, my lord.”

“Don’t...call me ‘my lord’...Padmé, I don’t want us to have the kind of relationship you had with Sidious. But we’ll speak of that when you come back,” Vader made a face. Shmi had warned him, but only now was he realizing how complicated freeing her from Sidious’ teachings was going to be.

“Come back?” she repeated.

“I’ve found your family, in Naboo. Forgive me for being so bold, but I’ve reached out to them and I’ve prepared a Nubian cruiser to leave tonight, to take you home. I know how important family is, especially because I never had one. The only feeling of family I ever had was Threepio, Shmi and this sassy astromech droid that I keep with me on my trips. You have a mother and a father that still care deeply for you. A sister and a brother-in-law plus two little nieces who have never met you. I want you to go home and  _ be  _ with them. The process of regaining what Sidious took from you needs to start now.”

Padmé stared at him in silent disbelief, her mouth hanging open and salty tracks from her tears staining her cheeks. “Why?”

Vader raised one hand, both free of his usual leather gloves that he used during lightsaber practice or dueling, and wiped away her tears with his thumb. “If  _ I _ felt like a slave and a lapdog, and I was his  _ son _ … I can barely imagine what he has done to you over the last eight years. I just regret not helping you sooner. Padmé, I meant it when I said that I’m different. I want to help you. Maybe this is how you start to believe me.”

“Thank you, Husband,” she mumbled, bowing her head to him in yet another automatic response. “This is very generous of you.”

“Padmé...those answers are not going to cut it for me. I want a wife, someone to talk to. I certainly don’t want you to act like if you went against me, I would strike you down or punish you. I just…”  _ Remember, you have to be incredibly patient with her.  _ Shmi’s words rang in his head. “Pack your clothes. Rex will summon you shortly. Shmi and Threepio will be joining you on your trip. Not to spy you and report to me, but to provide you with any help you might need.”

She nodded once to acknowledge him, then turned away from him, leaving the bed to open her wardrobe. The thick, conservative dresses and heavy veils that Sidious had provided her hung there like taunts to the both of them. Vader followed her inside her wardrobe. He made a face at the dresses.

“On second thought, Padmé, you don’t need to pack. I’m sure I can make a few calls to Naboo and have some decent clothes waiting for you there.”

“Thank you, Husband.”

“For the love of the Force, don’t call me that,” he muttered, annoyed. 

Padmé flinched, sensing his displeasure. “What should I call you, then?”

“Vader will be fine. You’re my wife, you don’t have to use titles when you speak with me and you don’t need to flinch every time I speak.” He was beginning to get exasperated but he knew this was the result of Sidious’ abuse and as Shmi advised, be patient with her.

“Forgive me. I don’t mean to displease you.”

“You’re not displeasing me.” The frustration of her behavior was getting to him, but he would wait for her return to the Palace. Time away would help her heal, for sure. “Just get ready to go home.”

“When do you want me to return?”

“I don’t have a specific time. Whenever you’re ready, I believe. I intend to make some changes to the Palace on your absence.”

“And if I’m never ready?” It was the first time there had been any kind of sharpness in her voice since their wedding ceremony.

“Then we’ll see,” Vader lifted his shoulders. “That edge... keep it. I like it,” he threw her a smile before his comm began to beep. “I guess duty calls. Have a safe trip, Padmé,” he took her hand and gently kissed her knuckles.

“Th-thank you,” she stammered before swallowing nervously. “Vader.”

* * *

 

Shmi, apparently, was the woman who had been at her second wedding ceremony, and she was waiting for Padmé on the ship with a pile of blankets and a suitcase in her hands. “Are you alright?”

“I’m grateful that the Emperor is being so gracious to me,” Padmé answered automatically, pulling the cloak he had given her around her shoulders. “It is more than I deserve.”

“He has a good heart, your majesty,” Shmi said, her voice warm and motherly. “If I may be so bold, you shouldn’t speak of yourself in those terms.”

“I-I don’t know what you mean,” Padmé stammered.

“With time, milady, you might start seeing yourself for who you truly are and not for what Sidious taught you that you were.” 

Padmé said nothing in response, only looked down at the floor as the golden protocol droid boarded the ship. “Mistress Shmi, Empress Padmé, Artoo-Deetoo tells me that we are ready to depart as soon as Captain Rex arrives. Perhaps you would care to use the cabin, my lady?”

“Artoo-Deetoo?” Padmé repeated, not hearing the rest of what he’d said.

“Yes, he’s an astromech unit that Lord Vader restored when he was younger. The previous Emperor wanted to dispose of him. He was a bunch of burnt metal, but Lord Vader restored him to his full, feisty capacity,” Shmi chuckled fondly. “You will like him, milady.”

“He was mine,” Padmé whispered. “When I was Queen of Naboo.”

“Oh, then you will absolutely have to come and see him,” Shmi smiled. “Threepio, have Artoo meet us at the cabin.”

“I don’t want to be a bother,” Padmé protested.

“Nonsense, Empress Padmé,” Threepio said, offended. “You are not a bother. I will speak with Artoo and request his presence at the cabin as soon as we depart.” The protocol droid entered the ship and Shmi chuckled.

“Those two provide moments of incredible humor, milady. They might be droids but it’s like they have their own strong personality,” Shmi chuckled. “Oh, Captain Rex.”

“Empress,” he bowed to Padmé. “Shmi,” he nodded with a soft smile towards the elder woman. “We are ready for departure. If you could move inside, we will take off for Naboo.”

Padmé immediately obeyed, hurrying into the ship and the cabin within it. From the looks of things, this was her old ship, the one that had brought her to Imperial Center when she was sixteen, rather than the one she’d used as the bride of Sidious.

_ My life is for the people of Naboo _ was scratched on the wall above the bed. She remembered carving it in with her nails.

“Aren’t you happy, milady?” Shmi asked as she entered behind Padmé and started to organize the couple of blankets she had brought. “You are going home. To see your family. You must be excited.”

“I left a Queen in their eyes,” Padmé whispered, sinking down onto the bed. “I’m coming back a whore.”

“Hush now, what kind of nonsense is that?” Shmi shook her head. “They’re your family. They will see you as their daughter returning home and trust me, milady, there is nothing stronger than the love of a mother or a father for their child,” she whispered. “No matter what has happened.”

She was lying. Trying to convince Padmé for the sake of her master so that Padmé would do what he wanted. “Please go away.”

“I’m sorry, I was out of line,” Shmi bowed her head. “I’ll be near if you need me.” Padmé collapsed on the bed, curling into the fetal position, and the older woman unfolded a blanket, laying it over her. “And I’ll make some hot chocolate for when you wake up.”

Padmé mumbled something that might have been a thank you, but it was too muddled to be certain.

 

 


	4. The Vacation and the Confession

“Your majesty?” Eirtaé, the blonde one of the handmaidens, knocked on Vader’s door. “I’ve just received a message from Ruwee and Jobal Naberrie, they’re requesting that you to contact them at your earliest convenience. And there’s a new shipment of flowers coming in for the Empress’ gardens this evening, just to let you know.”

Asking the Queen of Naboo to lend the Empire the service of the handmaidens that previously worked for Padmé, might have been his best idea to date. He knew Padmé had lived surrounded by droids for nearly a decade and these women had been her friends during her time as Queen. It was a step in the right direction, he was certain. It has been two months since Padmé left for Naboo and while Threepio gave him regular updates, the distance was making him antsy. He was a controlling creature by nature and having to change that part of him to help her was proving itself to be a challenge.

“Thank you, Eirtaé. Is the renovation of the wing mostly done?”

“It should be ready by the end of the week, assuming the builders don’t slow their pace to try and get more money out of you. But I don’t think they’d be that foolish,” Eirtaé replied, passing him a piece of flimsi. “The Naberrie family’s personal channel.”

“Eirtaé, I trust you. I know you won’t let them slow their pace,” Vader chuckled and accepted the flimsi. “Thank you. I’ll make the call right now.”

“Very good, Sire.” Eirtaé bobbed a curtsy before heading out of the office. 

Vader used the personal channel Eirtaé had provided him with, a sinking feeling in his stomach. Something was wrong, he could feel it. His mother-in-law’s face came into view first. “Ruwee! Ruwee, it’s him!”

“Thank Shiraya.” A plump old man joined his more finely-featured wife. “Thank you, your majesty, we know you’re very busy.”

“Not when it comes to my wife or her family. How is she?” Vader asked, concerned. The Naberries exchanged worried glances.

“That’s just it, your majesty,” Jobal said, biting her lip. “She was with us for maybe a few hours before she left for the Lake Country. We haven’t heard from her since, and she won’t allow visitors to the villa.”

“ _ What _ ?” He jumped up from his chair. “I sent her to Naboo to be with her family and you’re telling me she’s been isolated ever since? That was not the purpose of her trip!”

“We tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen,” Ruwee protested. “We’re just as worried as you, and we didn’t know who else to turn to.”

“You did well on contacting me but you should have done it earlier,” Vader complained. “I’ll fly to Naboo tonight and I’ll head to the Lake Country directly. Is there anything else I should know?”

“She seemed… afraid of us,” Ruwee said. “She wouldn’t even let us hug her. And she cried at the sight of Ryoo and Pooja. Just… what did that monster do to my little girl?”

“Things that I’m desperately trying to fix, Mr. Naberrie, but it has only been two months since he died and we cannot expect a lot of results in such a short amount of time. I’m afraid the psychological trauma he inflicted will take...much longer to heal than physical wounds. I’m sorry, it’s your daughter, but no father should hear details. I’m doing my best, however, for her. Please believe me.”

“You really do love her, then,” Jobal remarked softly. “I thought so. Some people insisted it was just politics, but I knew...”

Vader didn’t know about  _ love  _ but he certainly felt a desperate need to protect her fiercely. “It’s not just politics, Mrs. Naberrie. I promise I will give you news when I arrive.”

“Thank you, your majesty.”

* * *

Padmé sat on the shore of her little island, staring at Varykino with an aching heart. This place had once been her paradise, and now, despite the two months she’d spent in the villa with no one but Threepio and old Paddy Accu, it was just another reminder of the child that no longer existed. The water lapped against her toes and the birds were singing happily, but she could no longer enjoy it. She lay back in the sand and closed her eyes, willing the sun to melt her away until she was nothing.

“ _ Padmé _ !” Vader’s voice was a distant echo, that scared a few birds, sending them flying away. He stood by the beach of Varykino, a disbelieving look on his face mixed with deep annoyance as he shifted uncomfortably on the sand.

Her eyes opened, her whole body tensing at the sound as she slowly sat up. It couldn’t be. And yet there Vader was, standing on the shore.  _ What was he doing here? _

Vader looked around wildly, looking for a way to get to the small island. He had two options. Use the Force or swim. While using the Force would be the easiest one for him, he knew Sidious used it as a way of torturing her and he didn’t want to pass the message that he was the same. She could only have swum to the other side too. There was no boat.

The way she was frozen, looking at him, it showed him she wouldn’t move so he had to do something and he groaned as realization set in. He unclasped the cloak on his shoulders and it fell to the sand with a dry thud. Next was his jacket and black undershirt, leaving his torso bare. He removed the heavy boots and socks and stood only in his pants.  _ The things this woman makes me do.  _ He jumped into the lake and began swimming towards the island.

Padmé gawked at him, stumbling to her feet and scrambling back towards the rocks and little forest behind her. What was he  _ doing _ ?

Vader reached the island and as he left the water, he shook his head, blonde hair curling at the end. He pushed his hair back and took gigantic steps towards her. “If you knew...how much I hate sand...you would understand the sacrifice I just made for you,” he said very seriously and leaned against a rock.

“I did not ask you to make it,” she mumbled, grabbing the towel she’d brought with her and wrapping it around her chest. “Why are you here?”

“I was worried sick about you!” Vader threw his arms in the air. “Your parents haven’t seen you in two months or have any contact with you, what were you expecting? I was concerned you had done something to yourself. I mean, Threepio would have warned me but Force, I thought you hired someone to hack him, even though he’s unhackable but  _ still… _ ”

“Well, you’ve seen me, and I’m fine,” she said, her fear beginning to leak into her voice. “Was there anything else you wanted?”

“I just had close contact with sand, which is the equivalent of swimming through the lava of Mustafar for me, a more welcoming response would have been nice,” Vader crossed his arms over his chest. Immediately, Padmé dropped the towel and started to undo the tie of her bathing tog.

“ _ Wait!  _ Why does my every word lead you to undress?” He asked, bewildered. “Honestly, most women would be just mocking me for my absolute hatred of sand. You’re acting like I came to take you to your execution.”

“This is all I’m good for,” she answered quietly.

“That is getting increasingly annoying,” he pointed out. “What if we begin by you sharing your towel with your traumatized husband and let me dry in the sun, hmm?”

Padmé stared at him, dumbfounded. “But, I… You…”

Vader gave her a crooked smile. “Well?”

She handed him the towel and stepped back, one hand still on the knot at the back of her neck. Vader grabbed the towel and placed it on the grass. It was big enough for two people. Before sitting, he removed his soaked pants, leaving him only in his underwear. He sat on the towel and patted the seat next to him. “I don’t bite, Padmé, I’ll be on my best behavior.”

She sat down as far away from him as possible, hugging her arms around her knees.

“This is beautiful out here,” Vader commented after a few minutes of silence.

“It was my favorite place in the whole galaxy as a child. Now, I’m ruining it,” Padmé whispered bitterly, burying her face in her knees. “I’m filthy and worthless. I don’t belong here.”

He acted without thinking and maybe he should have had a bit more control. He turned around, grabbed her wrists and made her look at him. His hair still dripping, as his intense blue eyes with small specs of gold, looked down at her. “Whatever he told you, erase it from your mind.” The sun was hitting his back directly and the warmth was spreading through his body. “He was the worthless and selfish bastard. He didn’t belong. Anywhere. You need to  _ stop  _ thinking like that. Saying those things. You might have forgotten your worth, Padmé, but I know it and I won’t let you forget it.”

“Please,” she whimpered, her wrists trembling under his grip. “You’re… I… So close...”

“Sorry,” he whispered and released her, sitting back on his side again. “You insult yourself again in front of me, Padmé and I’ll have to find a way to actually punish you,” he said half-jokingly. Unfortunately, she did not take it that way, cringing at the mention. “I’m sorry, again, I said that jokingly just...can I ask you not to do that to yourself? The self-inflicted insults?”

“But they’re true!” she protested.

“No, they’re not,” he protested back.

“How would you know? We’re practically strangers, you wanted the throne and the whore that came with it, don’t deny it.”

“I wanted the throne and the  _ beautiful  _ woman. Padmé, he was a monster, how can you believe in his word so vehemently?” Vader asked in disbelief. 

“Because it is true,” she mumbled, looking away from him to stare out at the water again. “I was a stupid, worthless child and I whored myself out willingly to be a stupid, worthless failure of an Empress who couldn’t even do the one thing she had to.”

“Oh by the Force…” he fell on his back and covered his face to hide a groan. “You were a  _ child, _ ” he all but screamed. “You didn’t have a choice. You saved your planet. He raped you. He was sterile. How much more do I need to say to make you understand  _ it was not your force-damned fault? _ ”

“Please don’t yell at me,” she whispered.

Vader took a steadying breath. “I’m not yelling,” he muttered, petulant.

“You were,” she said, standing up and walking straight down the beach and into the water, transferring effortlessly into swimming across the lake. Halfway there, she stopped, treading water as she looked back at her husband. He was surely going to punish her for this disobedience. If she went back now, would he be lenient? Or should she just go back to the villa and wait for him, accepting her fate?

He watched her, hoping she began to grow a backbone. He raised one eyebrow, waiting to see her next move. She started making her way back toward the island, back toward him and Vader groaned, frustrated. “I’m sorry,” she babbled as she emerged from the water. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have… Please, don’t punish me, it’ll never happen again, I promise!”

“Punish you for what? Calling me on my misbehavior just as a wife should? Padmé, I won’t punish you for that or anything. Calm down, I’m never going to hurt you,” he smiled softly at her and gently pulled her to his side. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen a sunset as beautiful as Naboo’s, so why don’t we see it from here before we swim back to shore? I asked Threepio to prepare our dinner when I arrived.”

“Whatever you want,” she mumbled immediately.

“I was asking. If you don’t want to stay, you don’t have to. You can return to the house and I won’t mind.”

“You wouldn’t like what I want,” Padmé told him.

“What is it? Tell me, I’m curious.”

“I want to die,” she answered bluntly. “Sometimes at night, I would dream about it.”

Vader looked at her, bewildered. “You can’t be serious, Padmé.”

“Death is freedom,” she said, staring off at the horizon. “I would dream of finally conceiving, and the child ripping its way out of me until I bled to death.”

“That is a horrifying scenario,” he cringed.

“No more so than my waking life.”

“Sidious is gone, he can’t hurt you any longer, why don’t you accept my help? You don’t deserve to die, but Sidious did and he had the ending he deserved. You still have a life to live. Dreams to fulfill. You can still be happy and I can help you get there.”

“As  _ your  _ Empress?”

“There’s more to that than you realize,” he said softly. “You can make a real change in the Galaxy. You don’t have to be afraid of expressing your ideas. Saying what you think or doing what feels right. You can help the causes that are closest to your heart.”

“Please don’t make me go back.”

“You can go back when you feel ready. We’ll ease you in. I have a few surprises for you there,” he smiled. “I don’t mind coming back and forth for a while until you’re ready to come with me. For now, I thought about spending the next week with you. Would you like that? We can get to know each other.”

“Will you...” she swallowed nervously, unable to even say it.

“No,” he replied gently, understanding her concern.

“Alright,” she mumbled. “Alright.”

It wasn’t much, but it was a start. “Tell me more about Naboo,” Vader asked. “Tomorrow, you can show me around.”

“I don’t want to leave the Lake Country. People shouldn’t have to—” She stopped. He didn’t want her talking like that anymore. “I can show you the meadow tomorrow.”

“Good, it’s a start. We can visit Theed, next. In disguise, of course, so we don’t attract the HoloNews here. It would be fun.” Vader smiled. “Think we can maybe have a picnic tomorrow? I never did one of those.”

“If you would like to,” she nodded meekly. “There isn’t much food in the house.”

“Threepio warned me about that, he’s very fussy. I’ve already requested an order to be delivered. It’s incredible how you survived for so long.” She didn’t reply, and her silence said it all. The lack of food had been on purpose. “I’m glad I got here when I did.”

“We should go back before it gets too dark,” she said, changing the subject and standing up. “The sun sets fast here. Come on.”

Vader stood up as well and gave her a soft smile. “Race you to the shore?” He challenged.

“You’ll win,” she replied quietly, picking up the towel and tying it around her waist. Threepio would have to clean it when they returned to the villa. Then she dove into the water.

“I’m not that good underwater, you give me too much credit,” Vader replied cheekily and dove after her, swimming at her side. Padmé blushed and picked up her pace, shooting ahead of him. The water rippled and shimmered over her body in the fading sunlight. Vader chuckled lowly to himself and followed her but at a much slower rate.

Threepio was waiting for them with two robes in hand. “I took the liberty of preparing the bath for you, Mistress Padmé,” he announced. “I can draw another for Master Vader, unless you would prefer to share?”

Padmé’s entire body went pale at the suggestion as she looked back at Vader.

“Thank you, Threepio, we’ll each take a bath individually,” Vader replied smoothly, grabbing one of the robes. “We’ll meet for dinner unless you want to dine alone?” He turned to his wife, hopefully.

Padmé looked down at the sand beneath their feet. “In an hour,” she said finally. “I’ll be ready in an hour.”

“So will I. Nothing too fancy, don’t worry, just a casual dinner at the balcony,” Vader said, his tone chirpy and lighthearted that went very well with the clear blue of his eyes, only tainted with a few specks of golds. Padmé nodded and hurried back to her parents’ old bedroom.

The clothes he’d ordered were still sitting in a trunk, untouched, in favor of her mother’s gowns, but she couldn’t wear any of those tonight. Biting her lip, she unlocked the trunk and pulled out the first dress, a very sheer black one with long sleeves and a neck that went down to her waist. Swallowing, she stepped into it, only to realize she couldn’t lace up the back. “Th-Threepio? Will you please come help?”

Since he was already prepared for dinner, Vader had decided to wait for his wife at the hall when he heard her call out for Threepio. “Threepio is preparing dinner,” he said from the doorway, knocking on the door. “But maybe I can help you?” He asked softly as he looked inside and found her standing in front of the mirror with the back of her dress open. He swallowed the lump in his throat. “If you let me, I can do it.”

She blushed, automatically reaching to move her hair out of the way for him. Every muscle in her body was rigid with nervousness

Taking his cue, Vader entered the room and stood behind her. He gently pulled the laces of the dress closed, letting his knuckles graze against her skin. “There.” He looked at their reflection in the mirror and enjoyed the dark sight that greeted him. Both of them had chosen black for their dinner. “You look stunning. These dresses bring out your beauty in a way your previous clothes never could. Also...will you let your hair down for me? I like it much better when it’s loose.” She dropped her hands to her sides immediately, letting the curls tumble around her shoulders.

“Padmé...not everything I tell you is an order. You have a choice. You need to remember that. Please?”

“But you said you liked it.”

“I do, but if you tell me you would rather wear it up, I won’t get upset because it’s  _ your  _ hair. You decide how it will be.”

Quick as a flash, Padmé seized her mother’s sewing scissors from the vanity table and started hacking chunks from her head in a panicked frenzy. Vader stepped back and widened his eyes as he watched her destroy her long locks of hair, a look of pure madness in her eyes. She saw it and froze, the scissors dropping to the floor with a clatter. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” she gasped. “I didn’t mean…”

“N-no, don’t...apologize, you just surprised me, that’s all. If you wanted to cut your hair, I’m sure Naboo has hairdressers that would be more than happy to provide you their assistance,” Vader said, slowly as if he were speaking with a caged animal as he bent down to grab the scissors. “Do you feel better?”

“N-no,” she mumbled, dropping on the bed.

“Maybe it’s because it’s uneven,” he chuckled and sat by her side. “Padmé, I know it’s not easy,” he sighed. “But being stuck in the ways he forced on you...will be letting him win. Do you want him to win?” She didn’t answer. “He’s dead. He lost everything. You’re alive and have a chance to be happy. Do you want to give him the satisfaction of winning now?”

“This isn’t a game,” she pointed out sullenly.

“Life is a game,” he retorted. “We can either give others the power to win or we can roll the dice and have a say in what awaits us.” He stood and offered her a hand. “Dinner?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Yes, you are. You’re not going to starve yourself while I’m around, or do you think I didn’t realize what you were doing? It’s your favorite. At least that was what your Mom said.”

“I’m not worth all this,” she insisted, shaking her head.

“So you keep saying. What do  _ I  _ keep telling you though?”

“Whatever will make me spread my legs.”

“Now you’re offending me,” his eyes darkened. “My behavior with you has been different from what everyone, even me, is used to and that’s because, for the first time, I actually care about someone other than myself. You keep expecting me to abuse you against your will,” he scowled, annoyed. “You don’t have to come to dinner if you don’t want to.”

“A whore doesn’t have a will of her own,” she recited, twisting her hands nervously.

“Just like a good apprentice does not stray from the rules,” he spat. “I’m trying to help you, but apparently, you only want to have a relationship with  _ him. _ ”

“Because it doesn’t matter what I want!” she shouted, bursting into tears. “I’ve learned that, I’ve accepted that, why would you try to teach me otherwise when I will do whatever you want me to?”

“Because it’s not right! Because I  _ care.  _ I don’t know why I care but I do. From the first time I saw you, I  _ knew  _ that you had to be mine, that I had to protect you and I’m trying my best to be  _ good  _ to you and help you overcome years of pain and  _ you don’t let me! _ ”

“Some broken things can’t be fixed!”

“The choice that you have to make is between staying broken or healing. I can’t make that choice for you,” Vader threw his arms up in the air. “If you decide to do the right thing by you, you know where to find me.” He turned around and stormed out of the room, almost running into Threepio.

“Oh my goodness. Master Vader, you shouldn’t run in the halls. I am here to tell you and Empress Padmé that dinner is served.”

“It’s just dinner for one, Threepio,” Vader said bitterly and brushed past him. Padmé buried her face in the pillows of the bed as her tears returned.


	5. The Crown and the Return

“Everything is packed for your trip,” Shmi told Vader as she set down the tray with his lunch on the desk. “Is there anything else you needed?”

Vader put away the datapad with the Mid-Rim treaties being considered and shut the door with the Force. “I need your advice. Again.”

“Are you actually going to heed it?” she asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

“I’ve followed a few of your previous suggestions,” he huffed.

“Evidently not enough of them, or your wife would not still be hiding out in the Lake Country.” Shmi’s voice was harsh but kind.

“Don’t be like that, I’ve been doing my best. Every time I stop by, it’s the same. I say something, she takes it as an order and I can’t convince her otherwise. Or she starts undressing, I don’t know how to make it stop,” he grabbed the tray and began eating. “Maybe I should stop going and let her have her peace.”

“You can’t do that now,” she reminded him. “Not with the current state the Rebels are in, she’d be abducted or murdered within a month.”

“I’ve taken precautions to avoid that. She’s safe. I trust my troops. Besides, the Lake Country is very private.” Vader sighed. “I just can’t keep repeating the same thing over and over and over and over…” he groaned. “Over and over again,” he finished. “She doesn’t want help. You can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped.”

“It’s hard to accept help when you feel trapped and isolated and powerless,” Shmi said, her eyes suddenly lighting up with an idea. “So perhaps the answer is giving her the power for this trip.”

“How exactly will I do that?”

“You need to let her be the one who has control. Even if that means letting her hurt you,” Shmi explained softly. “It’s not enough to tell her she’s free.”

“I can understand giving her the control, but over what exactly? Stand in the middle of a room and let her beat me up?”

“It can’t hurt to try.”

Vader frowned mid-chew. He was deep in thought before shaking his head and swallowing his food. “She will never go for it and will probably run off the room crying, terrified.”

“Then don’t suggest it outright,” Shmi sighed. “You don’t necessarily have to take it that far, the point is to let her feel that she has the power. And not like you own her. And whether or not you meant to, that  _ is _ what it feels like to her. I would know.”

He blinked, staring at the woman who had raised him for the past two decades like she had sprouted another head. “Yeah, I don’t know how to do that. I mean, I know what you mean but I just don’t know how to act it.”

“Do you want me to help?” she asked with a little smile.

“Yes, please,” he moaned, mouth half-full with food. Shmi took a seat across from him. “Do you remember the meadow she showed you during your first visit? Take her there, and do something stupid with one of those animals you mentioned.”

“Like ride one? That won’t work, it would throw me off his back and I would probably end up looking stupid!”

“And she might feel like scolding you for it, or taking care of you,” Shmi said, tapping the side of her nose knowingly. “Show her your vulnerable side.”

“That’s...quite a way to show her I actually  _ bleed.  _ If I get seriously injured you’re going to feel  _ very  _ guilty,” he shook his head with a smile. “Do you think something that pathetic will actually work?”

“Considering she has never known anything other than harsh control and power, it’s worth a try,” his housekeeper reminded him. “And above all, you  _ cannot _ lose your temper with her. No matter how frustrated you become.”

“I’m trying my best,” Vader confessed. “But it feels like it’s not enough and I get nowhere.  _ Nowhere.  _ It’s frustrating! It drives me insane that she does not give herself any kind of value and she does not  _ believe  _ a word I say. She just thinks I want to bed her as soon as I can and you know, more than anyone, that that’s not true,” he vented. “From the day I met her there’s something… something I can’t put my finger on, it’s a pull, a primal instinct to protect her. I can’t help but want to see her happy.”

“Then she needs to leave Naboo. I know you sent her there to heal, but she’s too used to being isolated. Sometimes, in uncomfortable situations, people resort to what’s familiar, even if it isn’t what’s best for them.”

“I couldn’t have landed a less complicated woman,” he rubbed a hand across his face. “I’ll fly to Naboo after I meet with Rex. I...kind of already told Threepio I wouldn’t go, guess it will be a surprise.”

“I still think you should have started with an engagement rather than a marriage. It would have given her time without this pressure. But, no use in locking the stable once the tauntaun has run out.” Shmi sighed. “And maybe bring her something from her parents’ house as a gift. Something warm and familiar.”

“I’ll ask my mother-in-law for something that would fit the request. Padmé doesn’t speak with me, she’s not giving me the opportunity to know her and you know I only started with a marriage because the Rebels would have killed her the first opportunity they got.”

“You also told her during your first conversation that you were going to marry her and impregnate her after killing her husband. You’re something of a terrifying figure.”

“I know what I said but I had no idea of what happened behind-the-scenes of that marriage. I knew it was… bad, I never knew just how much.” Vader muttered.

“You’re too impulsive for your own good sometimes,” Shmi sighed. “I can’t imagine where you get it from.”

Vader had been busy eating the last of his meal. “Hm, what?”

“Nothing.”

There was a knock on the door and it briefly opened to show Rex at the entrance. “I’m sorry to interrupt, your majesty, but we had our meeting scheduled before you left for Naboo?”

Clearing his throat, Vader nodded. “Yes, Rex, come in, I was just finishing lunch,” he pushed the empty tray in Shmi’s direction. “Thank you for the advice, Shmi.” 

* * *

Padmé sat on the terrace of Varykino, slowly braiding together the red roses that grew in the pots along the railing. On days like this, she could almost pretend she wasn’t herself. She looked up at the mountains and thought about the village where she’d grown up. Even after five months, she still couldn’t get over the difference between Naboo and Imperial Center.

“—Not expected…” she heard Threepio fretting and dropped the garland as she turned around to see her husband.

“My— Vader!” she gasped. “Y-You said not to expect you.”

“I changed my mind,” he said slowly and his eyes widened in near regret. “I can go back to the Imperial City, you looked very peaceful braiding the flowers,” Vader noticed quietly.

“They were going to be crowns,” she mumbled. “For my nieces. They wanted to be Princesses since I’m Empress.”

“That’s very sweet. They’re turning out gorgeous, are you expecting a visit from them soon?”

“Sola was bringing them tomorrow. As a treat for Ryoo’s birthday.”

“Oh, then maybe I should leave. You deserve to have a girls’ day with your sister and your nieces,” he nodded.

“They wanted to meet you,” she said, bending down to retrieve the roses. “And you did come all this way.”

“I did,” he mumbled in agreement. “Then if you don’t mind me crashing your lunch tomorrow, I would love to meet them too.”

“I’ll have Threepio prepare your bedroom,” she said, resuming her braiding. “H-have you ever done this?”

“No,” he chuckled and moved to sit in the chair by her side. “I've never done something so delicate.”

“It’s a fairly easy— ow!” she hissed, dropping the crown again as a thorn pricked her thumb. 

“Easy, even the most beautiful roses have thorns,” Vader said as he bent down to pick the crown. 

“I thought I got all of them! Threepio, can you get a bacta patch?”

“Certainly, Empress Padmé!”

“I’ve learned that the hard way,” he set the crown at the nearby table. “It’s easy to get stung. Let me see, it doesn’t look that bad,” Vader took her hand to look at her finger.

“It shouldn’t be bleeding this much,” she fretted, holding it away from the pale blue silk of her dress.

“It’s not bleeding that much,” he chuckled and took her finger to his mouth, closing it around the small wound. She gawked at him but didn’t pull away, which was unusual for her. He pulled away. “See? Not bleeding anymore.”

“Th-thank you.” She blushed slightly.

“You’re welcome,” he smiled.

Threepio came back to the terrace, fretting. “Here’s the bacta patch you requested, Empress Padmé.”

“I’ve told you a thousand times you don’t need to call me that, Threepio” she sighed, taking the little patch and sticking it over her thumb. “ _ Miss _ is just fine.”

“But that is so uncivilized!” Threepio protested and turned to Vader. “Don’t you think, Master Vader?”

“I think you should do what Padmé asks of you,” Vader said, leaning back in the chair. “If she wants to be called Miss Padmé, I don’t see the harm.”

“She is the  _ Empress! _ What about the royal protocol?” Threepio sounded deeply horrified.

“I make the royal protocol. No, no, I make  _ your  _ protocols, Threepio. You have nothing to worry about,” Vader chuckled at his overly proper protocol droid.

“Oh, my,” Threepio turned around. “They’ll have me calling them by their first names soon enough. Where has all the respect gone?” He left, complaining, making Vader snort and shake his head.

“Is there any way to adjust his circuits?” Padmé asked.

“Oh, I’ve tried!” Vader groaned with a chuckled. “He’s been this way since I created him. I simply can’t change him. I don’t know, you might call me crazy but...that is just his personality and you can’t change someone’s personality. It’s like asking Artoo not to be a sassy and vindictive little astromech.”

“I wouldn’t want Artoo to change. He saved my life when I was fourteen.”

“Oh, he told me,” Vader nodded. “He didn’t stop talking about you for  _ a week.  _ I think he has a crush on you. It’s adorable.” He paused. “Yes, I speak binary,” he admitted with a soft blush. 

“I used to speak Gungan, but I wasn’t very good,” Padmé admitted. “It’s close to Basic, but the accent is awful.”

“Shmi used to say I could express myself better in binary than Basic. It was frustrating to all of my tutors. Droids are just easier to relate to, I guess. That’s why I made Threepio and fixed Artoo.” Vader shared.

“I wish my droids had been like that,” she whispered, taking back the rose crown to finish it. “Do you… want to learn? I still need to make one more for Pooja after this.”

“I can try but I don’t think I can be as good as you,” he pulled his chair closer. “Where do I begin?”

“You take the wire from there,” she pointed, “and make a circle, then wrap the stems around it. I have scissors if the stems are too long. Here, I’ll start it for you.” She took the wire and carefully bent it into shape before wrapping the first rose along the wire. “See?”

Vader nodded with a very focused face. “Let me try and see if I understood it right.” He took the wire and the rose and began the process, only to bend the wire far too much and break the stem of the rose, startling him. 

“Slower,” she advised. “Think of it like you would making a droid.”

“Making a droid is easier,” he complained to himself, grabbing another rose to repeat the process.

“Then maybe you can teach me to make that tomorrow,” she teased.

“I can let you practice on Threepio, see if you can fix his kinks,” Vader smirked.

From the inside of the house, Threepio let out a horrified gasp, and Padmé actually laughed. “You’re very mean to him, you know.”

“No, I’m not,” he laughed as well. “I just enjoy teasing him, he’s too uptight for his own good. Artoo agrees with me, you know?” 

“Artoo is not a good authority on personalities. He always had a few loose wires.”

“Hey, no loose wire jokes,” Vader stated, half-jokingly, half-offended. “Artoo has saved my ass more times than I want to admit. He’s perfect the way he is,” finally, he finished, wrapping the rose. “That doesn’t look too bad, does it?”

“Now you just need to do it at least twelve more times,” she said, nodding supportively.

Vader nodded. “Glad I don’t have anything else planned for the rest of the day, then,” he relaxed back in his chair and continued braiding the roses along the wires. He became very focused on his task, the background noises of the Lake Country a soothing change to the busy city life of the Imperial City.

“You look well,” Padmé said, not certain what else she could say.

“Hmm?” He looked up at her, biting his lower lip, so focused on braiding his last couple of roses. “Oh. Thanks to Shmi. She feeds me. Reminds me to sleep. All in all acts like my biological system since I can overwhelm myself sometimes.”

“Maybe that’s where Threepio gets it from.”

“You know…” he began wrapping the next rose carefully. He had never told the reason for Threepio’s creation except to Threepio himself. Sidious saw it as a pathetic, time-consuming, good for nothing hobby. Shmi worried that he was just isolating himself from human contact. “I was nine when I finished Threepio. One of the reasons I worked so hard to make him was...Shmi. She was the only person who actually cared and looked out for me. I guess her punishment for caring so much for a bastard was having to do everything herself. I found it unfair,” he mumbled the last part. “I created Threepio to help her.”

“Nine…” She slowly put her last rose into place. “I just realized I don’t know how old you are?”

“Twenty-one.”

“Twenty-six.” She pointed to herself.

“I know. It’s not a big age gap,” Vader replied, finishing his own crown. “Tell me the truth, will your nieces hate me?”

“They don’t hate anyone,” Padmé sighed wistfully. “If anything, you’re the handsome prince who rescued me from the evil monster.”

“They sound adorable,” he chuckled. “Which makes me feel awful that I’m only giving them a half-wrecked crown of roses.”

“It doesn’t look  _ that _ terrible,” she lied kindly. “If you want me to, I’ll wear it instead.”

“You would do that to spare my feelings?” He placed a hand on his heart. “That’s so sweet of you. You’ll have to let me make it up to you. It’s still daylight, we can go over to the waterfalls and have an early dinner.”

“Alright,” she nodded slowly. There was a hint of nervousness in her voice, but it wasn’t automatic compliance.

“Perfect,” Vader stood and gently grabbed the crown of red roses he had made. “Here, let me do the honors,” slowly, he lowered the crown on her head. “Comfortable?”

“It’s lighter than my old one,” she said, nodding.

“I’ll take that into consideration when I order your new one. Threepio?”

Minutes later, Threepio entered the terrace, with a picnic basket already prepared.

“I didn’t realize I was getting a new one,” Padmé shifted uncomfortably before standing up. “Does this mean you want me to return with you?”

They were having a great moment, some progress at last, and somehow he had ruined it. “We don’t have to talk about that now. Let’s just have dinner and speak about whatever you want. Except for work.” He took the picnic basket from Threepio.

“Can I get a shawl first? It’s been windy lately,” she said, fidgeting with her hair. It had evened out and grown down to her shoulders, but nowhere near as long as it had been before. “Not a lot of my dresses have sleeves.”

“Oh, yes, of course.”

“Empress—  _ Miss  _ Padmé, I can get it for you,” Threepio offered. “Which one would you like me to bring you?”

“The white one. And quickly, please.”

Threepio nodded and sauntered off. Vader cleared his throat, a guilty expression on his face. “I know the dresses were kind of my fault, but if you need warmer ones, you can request them.”

“It’s fine, I don’t want to be a burden. I’m sure you have more important things to worry about,” Padmé said, gathering up the flowers and wire. “I’m going to bring this with us so that I can make Pooja’s crown when we get there.”

“You’re not a burden and what kind of husband would I be if I did not worry about your wellbeing?” Vader said. “Of course,” he nodded.

Threepio returned a few minutes later, with the requested shawl. “I hope you have a good evening,” he wished.

“Thank you, Threepio, you can recharge until we get back,” Vader said. Padmé wrapped the white silk around her shoulders and started down the steps.

“Aren’t you coming?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at her husband.

He nodded and started down, after her. “What is your favorite thing about the Lake Country?” He was making small talk, but he didn’t want to approach any subject involving the Empire just yet. He knew it was going to be ugly when he said she had to come back with him, but she had so many things waiting for her at the Palace. Her handmaidens, her new wing...details he prepared just for her.

“The water,” she said immediately. “Waterfalls, and lakes, all of it… I can’t even describe it, I just feel right when I’m in it.”

“It’s not something we can take for granted,” he admitted softly. “Take it from someone who had a rough time in Tatooine for a while.”

“With the Hutts?” she asked.

“In a way. I was in one of my first missions. I messed up, but I was thirteen, I had no idea of what I was doing. I was captured by the Hutts and made a slave. The Emperor didn’t do a thing to free me, or rescue me,” his face grew sober. “I had to free and save myself. Jabba the Hutt was my first kill. At thirteen years old.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “So he lied to me.”

“If you’re talking about the Emperor, Padmé, I think you should assume everything he said to you as a lie,” Vader sighed. “I was his own blood and he couldn’t care less if I lived or died. When I returned to the Imperial City, it was with one foot in the grave and if it hadn’t been for Shmi, I would have perished.”

“He said you’d sell me to them when he died,” she whispered. “And seeing what women did in those palaces was part of my… education.”

Vader stopped, they had reached the vast meadow and he could already hear the waterfall in the distance. He cringed, thinking about the things she had probably witnessed during her  _ education  _ but he had a more urgent matter to ask her. “Padmé, what did he tell you about me? The truth, please.”

“That you were a perfect Sith. Ruthless and bloodthirsty and without mercy, and that without him to protect me, you would make my life hell.”

“Perfect Sith? The amount of Sith lightning I had to endure over the years, stated otherwise.”

“You too?” She whispered, her fingers moving to her own scars self-consciously.

“When I am on a mission, I can be ruthless and bloodthirsty, especially in the beginning of my teenage years. But from that to be a soulless monster...I think he was projecting himself in me, for you to  _ fear  _ me. For you not to have  _ ideas  _ of seeking my help.” He ranted. “My enemies have reasons to fear me, but not you, not my wife.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, taking the blanket from the picnic basket and laying it on the ground.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” he shook his head and then spotted shaaks in the nearby distance. “Are those shaaks?” He pointed at the bulbous herd animals. “I’ve always wanted to try and ride one.”

“You and every little child who’s ever seen one,” she shook her head. “It never ends well.”

“I’m not a little child. I’m the Emperor and Dark Lord of the Sith. I can have much better results than any child ever had,” he said cockily. “Just watch,” he quipped and broke off in a run.

“You’re going to kill yourself!” she shouted in alarm, chasing after him, only to trip over her skirts. “Wait!”

“I’ll be fine!” He shouted over his shoulder and kept running.

“Oh, Shiraya,” she whispered, covering her face with her hands as she watched him. 

Vader stopped his run as he neared one of the shaaks. “Hey there little guy,” he mumbled. “You’re going to help me, aren’t you? And not by breaking my neck, I hope,” the Emperor muttered to himself as with a Force impulse, jumped on the creature’s back.

“Get down from there!” Padmé shouted, grabbing her skirts as she tried to catch up to him.

“It’s easy, you just have to keep your balance,” Vader said as he worked not to fall, even as the shaak screeched and started running.

“No, don’t!” She was in such a rush that her foot caught in her skirt and she fell to the ground, the fabric ripping in the process.

The shaak stopped abruptly, its paws rearing back and sending Vader flying off to land on his face on the grass.  _ Ow. Shmi’s ideas are terrible. My face hurts!  _ The animal ran off, frightened and Vader turned around to lay on his back.

Her face covered in dirt and her dress torn up the leg, Padmé rolled over and slowly crawled to him, laughing and crying. “I told you so,” she gasped.

“Yes, maybe it was not a good idea after all,” he groaned with a chuckle. “What happened to you?” He laughed. “You have dirt all over your face and  _ I  _ was the one that just tried to ride a shaak.”

“I tripped over my skirts trying to stop you from riding that shaak,” she sighed. “And at least my forehead isn’t bleeding. Here.” She tore off a piece of the already ruined skirt and dabbed at his forehead. “I don’t have a bacta patch, so this will have to do.”

Vader winced as she dabbed at his forehead. “I’m sorry my stupid idea got you hurt,” he chuckled. “Ah, it’s just another scar, probably. It will make me more ruggedly handsome, I guess,” he smirked as he tried to sit up. “Oh, Force, everything hurts!” He groaned.

“Are you certain you’re twenty-one?” she teased, tearing another strip of fabric and wrapping it around his head as a makeshift bandage. “Because you sound like a baby.”

“I was just thrown off a back of a shaak and the grass did not cut my fall. Can I have a little pity instead of mockery?” He pouted and looked absolutely childish. A strong comparison, given who he was and his current position to the Galaxy.

“Hush,” she scolded, tying the bandage by his ear. “I’ll put some bacta on it when we get back to Varykino, and it should be gone in a few days.”

“You have a heavenly touch, you know that?” He mumbled, his eyes fluttering closed as he felt her touch, tying the improvised bandage around his head.

“No one’s ever said it before,” she whispered, her hands faltering at his cheek as she stared at him, her own face growing hot.

He sat a little straighter, reducing the distance between their faces. His eyes went from her lips to her own brown orbs. He almost wanted to ask permission, but he was afraid it would ruin the little bubble they had created to themselves. He hadn’t kissed her since their wedding ceremony and her lips were incredibly inviting. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and leaned forward tentatively, waiting for her to pull back alarmed or shove him back on the grass. “Well, it’s true. Almost like the touch of an Angel,” he said, their faces inches apart.

“You’re making fun of me,” she protested, but she didn’t move away.

“Oh, no, I’d be too frightened to tease an Empress,” he retorted with a crooked smile.

“I don’t understand what’s happening right now.”

“Me either, but you just have to let it happen, alright?” He asked moving a little closer, their knees were touching.

“What?”

Vader leaned forward and placed his lips on hers. Not in a demanding or harsh way. It was a soft, barely-there kiss, just a brush of their lips. Hers were soft, like the rose petals of the flowers he had woven in the crown she was wearing. Padmé’s eyelids fluttered closed as she leaned into it, and just for a moment, the entire galaxy seemed to disappear. Then someone’s stomach growled. Vader pulled back, dark blue eyes blinking in confusion. It had been the perfect moment.

“You’re hungry?” He guessed.

“A little,” she admitted, tucking her hair behind her ear. “We did bring that picnic.”

“Then I guess we should eat,” he smiled and stood, brushing the grass from his already stained pants. He offered Padmé his hands. “Angel?”

“Thank you.” She took it willingly and stood up. “You never answered my question.”

“Which one?” He asked as he began walking to where she had set the picnic basket. “You have to forgive me but a shaak just threw me off his back. I think I might even have a concussion.”

“Do you want me to come back to Imperial Center?” she reminded him, taking the scissors and trimming her skirts down to a more reasonable length.

“Yes,” he confirmed as he sat down. “But it will be different, Padmé, I swear. I’ve made changes, prepared a few surprises for your return. Nothing will be the same, it’s a new start for you and I even have a small agenda prepared for you, as Empress, ready to execute whenever you decide.”

“I don’t know if I want to be surprised,” she said, opening the basket and pulling out shuura fruit, cheese, and cakes.”I don’t have the best record with them.”

“My surprises are good. I promise. If you don’t believe me, ask Shmi. Your parents. It had their approval.” 

“Oh.” She started slicing the cheese very carefully, offering him the first piece. “And… other duties?”

“Thank you,” he accepted the cheese and took a small bite. “I want you to be more involved politically. I won’t start you off with big responsibilities, I mean, it’s going to depend on you, of course. I’ve heard stories of how you were as a Queen and you were impressive. I want you to bring some of that Queen back. The Empire could really benefit from her.”

“That isn’t what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?” He asked, clueless, finishing his cheese and grabbing one of the smallest cakes, placing it in his mouth.

“The succession,” she said through a mouthful of shuura.

“I’m twenty-one, Padmé. I just tried to ride a shaak. Can you see me being a parent right now?” He chuckled. “I am not looking for a succession. Not at the moment and not for the foreseeable future.”

“Then I’ll come back,” she agreed softly.

He gave her a happy grin. “Thank you. You won’t regret it!” The smile she gave him in return was hesitant at best, but it was still a smile.

* * *

As the ship got closer to Imperial Center, Padmé’s confidence started to drain out of her, and she started to curl up in her seat like a child, taking very deep, very loud breaths.

“Padmé, you’re safe,” Vader whispered, feeling her fear attacking her voraciously. “You’ll enjoy your welcoming committee,” he smiled and caressed her cheek. “They have been waiting to see your for months.” 

“I feel sick,” she whispered.

“It’s just nerves and it’s perfectly normal. The court has missed you. But your friends… they have missed you more,” he smiled secretly.

“Your Majesty, we’ve landed and we are ready for you to leave the ship,” Rex announced.

“Thank you, Rex,” he nodded at his Captain, that saluted and left. “Come with me,” he whispered, offering his hand to Padmé. She nodded, taking it and swallowing deeply as they disembarked. The clones stayed close to them, but they couldn’t entirely keep away the HoloNet reporters that had been lying in wait for them.

“Your Majesties! Over here!” someone shouted, and there was a bright flash. Padmé whimpered and buried her face in Vader’s chest.

“Rex, get the scavengers out of here,” Vader hissed at his Captain, hugging Padmé fiercely against him. “We’re almost inside,” he whispered to his wife soothingly and kept a steady pace towards the Palace, using the Force to keep the HoloNet reporters from getting to close and to distort the images they took.

As they reached the steps, the sound of blaster fire came from the entrance, and six women Padmé’s age in spectra-fade dyed gowns stood, holding blasters. “Did we not make it clear you were not permitted on the grounds?” one of them shouted, and Padmé’s eyes widened. It couldn’t be… “The next one does not miss,” Sabé added. “Now  _ leave. _ ”

“Surprise,” Vader whispered in her ear and, kissing her temple, let her go. Padmé raced up the stairs, straight into her old friend’s arms.

“I’m dreaming,” she gasped through her tears.

“Would your majesty like to be pinched to disprove it?” one of the others asked with a smirk.

“Eirtaé…” Padmé looked at the familiar faces through her quickly forming tears. “Dormé, Rabé, Yané, Saché… you’re all really here?”

“His majesty insisted,” Dormé said as she and the others joined the hug. “We’re glad to see you too.”

Vader stood back, smiling hugely at the reunion happening before him. Padmé looked at him with the most radiant smile he’d ever seen. He winked at her.

“Your majesty, perhaps we should get you and the Empress inside?” Rex reminded him. “Only so much we can do out here.”

“Yes, Rex, of course,” Vader said. “I want to take you to your new wing to get you settled,” he said to Padmé. “Your handmaidens have helped to oversee the renovations. We are all hoping you feel at home.”

“Thank you,” Padmé whispered, her smile still in place. “You didn’t have to do this for me.”

“To be able to witness that smile?” He whispered back. “I will do anything.” Padmé blushed as the handmaidens started to pull her along the hallway, all of them talking at once. Vader trailed after them, accompanied by Threepio and Artoo. Artoo beeped happily and Vader nodded. “I agree. Happiness suits her.”

Padmé’s newly renovated wing barely resembled its former self; if anything, it looked like a perfect replica of a lake country estate, complete with gardens that resembled the meadow where he’d kissed her only a few days before. By the time they reached her new suite, Padmé was crying openly. “This is all too much.”

“Do you want to change anything?” Vader asked.

“No, no, I only meant…” she laughed and hiccuped at once. “I don’t know what I meant.”

“We’re right down the hall if you need us,” Eirtaé informed her, shooing away the other handmaidens with a secretive smile. “Don’t hesitate to call.”

“Oh, but—” They were already gone, and that left a rather awkward married couple standing outside a bedroom. Padmé hesitated, curiosity at war with memories of what had happened in her old bedroom.

“Threepio will be the only droid of the wing,” Vader said. 

“Artoo can come too,” she said with a little laugh.

“Yes, of course,” he laughed. “I just use him so much during missions and Threepio is permanent.” He shrugged. “As for me… I’ll be in my wing. There’s a comm in your room that you can use to reach me and also, a few gifts from home,” he opened the doors. “Your mother… she allowed me to bring the holos you had in your childhood bedroom, to remind you of the good you already did to this Galaxy.”

“It’s lovely,” Padmé murmured. “Thank you.”

Vader smiled, looking around. “As long as it helps you, I’m happy. Eirtaé is your Chief of Staff and she has that agenda I’ve mentioned. Whenever you are interested in knowing what there is to do, she’ll be able to tell you.”

“I’ll do my best. I wouldn't dare disappoint you.” And there it was. The deference that Sidious had beaten into her. _ Kriff.  _

He took a deep, long sigh. “Padmé, we’ve talked about that tone.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, taking a nervous step back. “I’ll, uh, I’ll see you at dinner?”

Vader watched her step back, away from him, again, afraid. He shook his head and said nothing else. “Dinner it is. I have some meetings to attend to, I’ll leave you to get settled.”

“Do I get to say I told you so yet?” Shmi asked with a little smile. “I know it’s only been a few days, but she seems to be doing much better than she was when she left.”

“I know she is and I’m very happy about it. But she still speaks with me in that submissive way, like if she doesn’t do what she is told, she’ll be grounded like a child,” Vader sighed and leaned back in his chair. “By the way, the doing something stupid part? It helped, although I can still feel the concussion where I hit my head after the shaak threw me away.”

“Do the two of you ever do anything other than having dinner together?” his housekeeper pointed out. “Most of the time when I see her, she’s sitting in the gardens, reading or just sitting by the pond.”

“What can we do together?” Vader asked. “I have an incredible amount of meetings and then I need to hold court. There are treaties I need to review, military strategy, simple visits around the Imperial Center,” he enumerated. “She does not feel comfortable doing any of that. I wish she would, the public would love her.”

“Do you ever ask her why?”

“Never directly but I think it has something to do with the way Sidious treated her and the things he said to her throughout the years.”

“Poor child,” Shmi sighed, shaking her head. “She must feel so lost and confused right now. I’ve tried to talk to her, but she doesn’t want to listen to me. I think she still associates me with your wedding.”

“I think she associates everything with Sidious and not the wedding with me in specific. I’m really at a loss on what to do to help her, I can only wait until she realizes no one is here to hurt her.” Vader sighed.

“I noticed she’s still wearing the gowns  _ you _ designed for her,” Shmi said, rearranging a few of the gifts he’d gotten from various dignitaries at his coronation on the far shelf. “Maybe you could suggest to her handmaidens to take her to the tailor? Let her pick something for herself?”

“I did design them but it’s not obligatory for her to wear them if she doesn’t like them,” Vader frowned. “She’s free to choose her own clothing, do I have to be the one to make that suggestion?”

“The only thing that would make her more of a slave would be if she had a chip in her neck,” Shmi reminded him. “That’s how deep his lessons have been beaten into her. That’s what marriage is to her.

“Well, blast it, what am I supposed to do then?” Vader snapped. “Every move I make is perceived as enslavement, I’m tired of it. What should I do? Pass her the divorce papers and move on to find a political marriage more suitable to me?”

“Nothing worth having is ever gained easily,” the housekeeper said cryptically. “If you want this to work, you have to be willing to wait.”

“I’m waiting but I’m tired of having my actions misinterpreted.” Vader scowled. 

“Stop blaming yourself, and stop blaming her. She can’t help it.”

Vader hissed. “I don’t know what either of you wants from me, honestly,” he stood, abruptly, and grabbing his datapad, he stormed out of the door, nearly knocking into one of Padmé’s handmaidens. Was this one Rabé or Saché? “What?” He asked in a foul mood.

“It’s just… Padmé,” she gasped out tearfully. “She fell asleep in the gardens, but now she’s thrashing about and screaming, and none of us can wake her up or get her to stop. I’m sorry to have disturbed you, sir, but we didn’t know what else to do!”

He shoved the datapad in the girl’s hands and headed towards his wife’s wing at a quickened pace. It was, most likely, nightmares. He knew enough about the agonizing sensation of horrifying nightmares to recognize it. He entered the gardens and didn’t even acknowledge the worried handmaidens, going straight to Padmé’s side.

She was drenched in sweat, her legs tangled up in her skirts as she thrashed about, whimpering. “I’ll be good, I’ll be good, please, just stop!” she pleaded.

“Leave us alone,” he barked at the women, and laid by Padmé’s side, wrapping his arms around her. “Ssh, ssh, it’s a nightmare, Padmé, he can’t hurt you anymore,” he whispered in her ear as he began using the Force to lull her into a numb sleep, dreamless. “He’s gone. He can never hurt you again.” He pushed the dark cloud of energy surrounding her away, and slowly, her breathing began to steady and her movements slowed until she lay still, curled up against his chest. “You’re safe,” he said, tightening his hug. “Nothing can hurt you again.”

Her eyes flickered open, growing wide in alarm as she took him in. “What happened?” she asked fearfully. “I was just… oh, Shiraya…” she hiccuped, slumping against him.

“It was just a nightmare,” he whispered. “You’re safe now,” he mumbled as he loosened his hold. 

“I never had nightmares before,” she whispered into his chest. “I always had sedatives with my supplements.”

“I guess it’s normal for you to have them, being back at the Palace. But I thought the new set of rooms and the handmaidens would help make the transition from the Lake Country easier.”

“This was the first time,” she said, nervously tugging at her hair. “I-I don’t know what changed, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, I’m just happy it’s over. You gave your handmaidens a fright,” he nodded before releasing her altogether and standing. “Padmé, do you want to speak with someone? A sort of therapist? We can find one that’s not a droid, maybe it would be good for you.”

“I… alright,” she nodded. “But would you, um,” she paused, swallowing. “Would you stay with me tonight? Just in case he comes back?”

Vader gaped at her. “I... sure. I can sit on the couch until you fall asleep. I have some reading material I can start working on. I’ll ask the handmaidens to find a specialist so you can talk to.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, gripping his hand tightly in her own. She looked like a little child still sitting on the ground and looking up at him with her eyes still a little glassy from tears. “Vader.”

He helped her up and made sure she was steady on her feet. “It will be good to get some help. If you start having trouble falling asleep, I’m sure you can take some natural remedies to help you.”

She nodded slowly. “Hopefully, they won’t have to bother you about me again.”

“They are not bothering me,” he controlled his tone of voice so it wasn’t very harsh. 

“Oh.” She swallowed. “I figured you must have been busy. With the Empire.”

“And I am, but when it comes to you, it’s not a bother. Do you want me to accompany you to your room?”

“Could I,” she shifted her weight nervously. “Would it be alright if I left the palace?”

“Yes, where would you like to go? Or if you would rather not say and go alone, just take a couple of Rex’s troops with you. For protection.”

“I don’t know,” she admitted, looking slightly ashamed. “I just… needed air. Not from here.”

“Do whatever you like, just remember to have protection with you,” Vader conceded.

“Thank you,” she said again.

“I still have business to attend to. I’ll meet you tonight... have one of the girls fetch me at my office.” He said, nonchalant. “Be careful. Please.”

“Of course, my— Vader.”

Vader sighed, noticing her mistake, but said nothing, deciding to leave the gardens instead. He warned Rex that Padmé might want to leave the Palace and if that was the case, she should take a handful of men with her. He returned to his office, slightly upset. It was going to be some long months ahead of him.

* * *

 

 


	6. The Opera and the Vacation

From the royal box in the Imperial Opera House, Padmé sat beside her husband, tapping her nails on the shared arm of their seat as they watched the new production of  _ The Gungan King,  _ chosen by the company in her honor apparently. She adjusted her black lace skirts and looked over at her husband nervously. “You’re not bored, are you?” she whispered to him.

_ Yes.  _ “No, it’s actually quite captivating,” he lied smoothly, giving her a brief glance accompanied with a small smile, before turning to the production again. “They’ve gone to great lengths to honor you, I’m very happy with that.”

“I don’t think anyone should be singing in Gungan,” she said, giggling slightly. “And it’s not very accurate. Gungans have bosses, not kings.”

“We can always expect productions like these to exaggerate the details for some dramatic flair,” Vader chuckled.

“I just pray if they ever make an opera about me, it won’t be until after I’m dead.”

“You enjoy opera, then? This is not a burden for you?” Vader asked, sincerely curious. There was a bit of pressure for them to make their first outing as the royal couple of the Galaxy and even more pressure came with the background of the production. It would be disrespectful if the Empress wasn’t present at the premiere of something made for her.

“I hated it when,” she paused and sighed. “When  _ he _ would make me go. It was never here. This was where the old Chancellors used to go. I remember sitting in the Imperial Box at the Galaxies Opera House, and I wouldn’t be able to see or hear anything properly because I had to keep my veil on.”

“If you want to, we can come here regularly, I was never a fan of the Galaxies Opera House, and I was happy to know the Imperial Opera House had finished their renovations in time for our first official outing,” he gave her the briefest of smiles. “By the way, you look beautiful. I don’t remember if I told you this before we left the Palace.”

“I’m gl— Thank you,” she caught herself. Eight months in and she was still succumbing to the responses she’d been taught for almost nine full years of her life. “That’s very kind of you. And you…” She wasn’t quite certain what to say. He was wearing black, as he always did, and the light from the stage had thrown his prominent brow and the ugly scar over his eyes into focus in such a way that made him look rather terrifying.

“You don’t have to compliment me,” he said with a smirk. “We should keep watching before someone realizes we are not paying any attention.”

“There’s no need.” She pointed to the orchestra pit, where the conductor was bringing the orchestra to a stop. “It’s the intermission.” She clapped politely along with the rest of the audience.

“Ah.” Vader clapped slowly.

“Besides, I seem to remember something about you making royal protocol?” She reminded him, smiling slightly.

“Sorry?” He turned to her, confused. “I don’t...it has been some very complicated months, maybe you can refresh my memory?”

“When you came to Naboo to bring me back and corrected Threepio.” She shivered slightly. The sheer sleeves of her gown left her shoulders bare, and it felt like she might have been directly under a vent. “Why is it suddenly so cold? Do you feel it?”

“Ah, that, I don’t think I would get away with that excuse around here. It’s a cocky thing to say around the house but the general public might get offended,” he shook his head and then removed his jacket. “Here,” he placed it around her shoulders. “Warmer?”

She nodded, pulling it a little closer. “Thank you… Will you tell me something? Please?” 

Vader nodded. “What is it that you would like to know?”

“You, um,” she swallowed, blushing scarlet. “Your education was different from mine, I know, but was it… like that song in the middle of the act?”

He looked at her, confused. “My education...in which way and the song...oh, you mean the sex scene?” Vader widened his eyes in realization. “Padmé, are you trying to ask me if I’ve been with a woman before?”

“N-no, I just…” she covered her face with his borrowed coat to try and hide how red she was. “It was so different from what I learned.  _ He _ ... He never touched me outside of those few moments. Or held me. Or…” she trailed off, clearly embarrassed.

“You don’t have to go into details, I can imagine,” Vader sighed. “The way my predecessor did things was not the standard way. Not every intimate relationship is like that. You can actually have a loving relationship with your partner if you want, pleasurable too. It’s not about pain or abuse, it’s about...and this is going to sound very corny… but sometimes it’s about making love to the person you love. Other times is making the person you care about feel good.” He ranted as he was glad the dark shadows of the Opera House hid his blushing cheeks from her. “But, to answer your question, finally, my education is  _ very  _ different from his or from the one he gave to you. I never received any complaints in the bedroom department.”

“Oh.” Her face seemed to be at war over that revelation, between looking pleased and disappointed. “I see.” Eirtaé approached at that moment, holding out a small silver vial. “Oh, yes. Thank you, Eirtaé.”

“Of course, your majesty,” the blonde nodded, and waited for Padmé to drain the salty contents of the vial before taking it and stepping back to her own seat.

“What was that?” Vader asked quietly glancing at the only blonde handmaiden.

“I’m trying a new sleeping-draught,” Padmé explained. “The nightmares are coming back, and I have to drink this one early in the evening because it takes a long time to set in.”

“I see. Have you found a medic to speak with? It can help with the nightmares.”

“None of them have cleared screening yet, your majesty,” Eirtaé said, leaning forward. “We haven’t found one yet that I don’t trust to break confidentiality for the chance to make some easy credits.”

“Thank you for being careful, Eirtaé, and keep me updated on the screenings.” Vader nodded at her.

“Of course, sire,” she smiled graciously before winking. “Though you could always try that solution from the gardens.”

Vader cleared his throat. “ _ Thank you, _ Eirtaé.” He shot her a look.

“Would you like me to fetch anything from the lobby? It  _ is _ the intermission.”

“Water. Bubbly.” He requested.

“Nothing for me,” Padmé mumbled, looking down at her lap in embarrassment. Eirtaé nodded and curtsied before leaving them alone. “I… They’ve had to get me extra pillows so I can hold onto something while I sleep. They keep saying I should just ask you.”

“You can ask me if you want to,” he said bluntly. “You don’t have to be embarrassed to ask me anything, Padmé, I’m your husband.”

“I mean… if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, would you maybe, um, consider...” she trailed off, blushing.

“Yes…?” He prompted.

“If you stayed with me tonight. In the bed. Not on the couch. If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t. I would be happy to help you,” he smiled and leaned forward, kissing her cheek. 

“Thank you.” The hand that wasn’t holding his jacket closed reached over and took his, squeezing tentatively. “Truly.” He squeezed her hand back and smiled. Eirtaé held up the glass of water Vader had requested as the lights began to flicker. “They’re about to start again.”

Vader received the glass and thanked Eirtaé. “You know, if you want to add some form of intimacy to our nights, I would be willing to teach you,” he added before he chickened out and drank the water as the lights went black again and the play began their second act.

The entire second act of the opera did not register to Padmé, she was too caught off guard by what he’d said. But for the sake of appearances, she was the first one to her feet when the curtain fell, knowing that reporters from the HoloNet were undoubtedly watching them. “Stand up,” she whispered to Vader. He obeyed her request and stood up, clapping and smiling for the sake of their appearances. He definitely wasn’t someone that loved Opera, it was too much time standing still. But apparently, Padmé enjoyed it and if it was something that made her relax and have some fun, he didn’t see why they couldn’t pop up every once and a while for a night out.

“Let’s get you out of here before the press mobs us,” Rex suggested. “Speeder’s already waiting.”

“Good call. Padmé?” He turned to his wife and offered her his hand. “Are you ready to leave?” She nodded, passing back his coat. “Aren’t you cold anymore? I don’t mind.”

“It looks better this way,” she explained, hooking her hand through his elbow. “We don’t want to make people think we weren’t watching the show.”

Vader nodded and began guiding them out of the Opera House, following Rex towards the speeder. “We’ll release a statement in the morning, saying how much we enjoyed the show and give congratulations to all who were a part of it. If you like, we can have a feast with the cast and crew.”

Padmé shook her head, suppressing a larger shudder. “I hate banquets. Too much pressure.”

“Alright, so a press statement it is,” he said, and as they’ve reached the speeder, Rex opened the back door for them. “Please, after you,” Vader said.

“Thank you.” Padmé stepped inside, moving over to make as much room for him as possible. “What you said, right before the entr’acte. What did you mean?”

As he sat by her side, he gave it a little shrug. “It’s an offer you can decline if you want to. You never had a loving partner, I’m offering to give you a taste of what true pleasure and caring can be like.”

“I don’t,” she breathed deeply, wringing her hands. “I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“Then tell me when you are. I’m not saying we have to do anything right now. It was just a proposal that’s on the table.”

“It’s just… the supplements,” she whispered. “They were supposed to get stronger the more I had. I’m not ready for a child. I thought you weren’t either.”

“Padmé, there isn’t a need for supplements.  _ He  _ might have used them because he was insane, but you don’t have to take them anymore and we don’t have to go all the way. In the beginning, we can start by the small things. When you do feel comfortable going all the way, we’ll use protection. There are contraceptives to prevent getting pregnant.”

“There are small things?” she asked, frowning at him in confusion. “There are  _ other _ things?”

“Yes. Small things are important, the main act is no all there is. Kissing, for example. It’s one of the most basic expressions of love and caring. Then we can move up to other… small things that will involve either my hands or my mouth,” he said cheekily. “But really, Padmé, we only have to do what you feel comfortable with  _ when  _ you feel comfortable or trust me enough to do it.”

“But what if I’m never ready? Because I’m too scared to be ready, and then I make you hate me and the galaxy hate me, at least the ones that don’t already hate me, I just want to be,” she had to stop for a moment to breathe.

“Padmé, don’t–” He stopped himself, turning to face her. “Blast it,” he mumbled under his breath before claiming her lips with his. It was not a chaste kiss like the one at the meadows. It had more meaning and more fire behind it. He cradled her face with one hand and moved his mouth over hers. Padmé gasped under his lips but did not pull away. He took advantage of her gasp, requesting entrance in her mouth by slowly adding his tongue, caressing her own with slow, gentle strokes.

His wife’s breath hitched and she almost seemed to go limp, as if she were shutting down as she tried to understand what was happening.

Finally, he ended the kiss, pulling away just enough that their foreheads were touching. “Did I overstep?” He asked her quietly.

“N-no, I just,” she wet her lips. “I’ve never felt anything like that before, I didn’t know what to do.”

“Shutting down is not the most accurate reaction,” he whispered with a small smile. “You can kiss me back. There’s not a specific lesson for that, it’s instinct. Do you want me to kiss you again?” He moved his hand from her face to stroke her hair, only for the speeder to screech to a halt.

“M-maybe back at the palace,” she stammered. “We’re in traffic still.”

“No better place. No one can bother us in the middle of the traffic,” he kissed the corner of her mouth. Padmé whimpered, rubbing her legs together. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable, like she had to relieve herself. He half-smiled, trailing small, feather-like kisses down her jawline and exposed neck. “Oh,  _ Force _ ,” she squeaked, shivering under his touch. “What’s happening?”

“Pleasure,” he explained simply, pulling back, but keeping contact by playing with her hair. “Do you want me to continue?” Biting his lower lip, he looked at her under his lashes. She nodded breathlessly. He moved forward again to kiss her lips passionately once more, his hand moving down to her waist, pulling her towards him. He moved his mouth over hers without being too demanding or aggressive. His free hand came up to support her neck. 

Slowly, Padmé raised her hands to slip into his hair and leaned into him, accidentally straddling him, which only made the odd pressure building inside her increase. She wriggled back and forth, trying to alleviate the unfamiliar sensation with a groan. He smiled against her lips, his hands rubbing up and down her back. He knew, of course, what she was looking for and he planned on giving her release back at the Palace. Their make-out session went on until their speeder came to a complete halt and Rex’s voice interrupted them.

“We have arrived at the Palace, your majesties.”

“N-no,” Padmé whined. “Something’s wrong, what did I do wrong?”

Vader chuckled. “Nothing, Angel. I know what’s wrong and I’ll fix it in a minute. We just have to get inside first.”

“But it  _ hurts _ ,” she complained. “I don’t even know if I can walk!”

“It’s not pain. It’s just uncomfortable. Your body is looking for release,” he explained.

“Your Majesties?” Rex questioned, awkwardly, from the outside of the speeder.

“I’ll give it to you when we get to the bedroom. This is not the right place. Not for your first release, anyway,” he kissed her cheek sweetly. “Are you going to let me leave or keep me hostage?” He chuckled.

“Fix it!” she begged.

“Inside,” he insisted with a laugh. He pushed the door of the speeder opened and spotted a very concerned Rex. “We’re fine, the Empress just hurt her ankle, apparently,” he snickered and left the speeder carrying Padmé bridal style. She gave him a withering glare but said nothing. The usual scavenging tourists and gossip writers hovered at the marked-off perimeter, desperately trying to catch even the briefest recording of the sight, and she huffed.

“You’re mean,” she whispered to Vader.

He kissed her forehead in response, with a smirk.

“Miss Padmé, oh, are you alright?” Threepio fussed as the royal couple entered the Empress’ wing.

“She’s fine, Threepio, you can go and recharge for the night,” Vader dismissed his fussy protocol droid and kept walking.

“But, Master Vader,–”

“Goodnight, Threepio!” He called out as he reached her bedroom and closed the door with his feet. He set Padmé down. “Still uncomfortable?” He teased.

“Horribly.” She grabbed one of the half a dozen pillows on her bed and smacked him with it. “You said you’d fix it!”

Vader laughed as she hit him with the pillow. He sat in one of the armchairs and signaled for her to come closer to him. “Straddle me, so we can end what we started in the speeder.”  She eyed him doubtfully. “Do you want to remain with that pressure on your lower stomach, rubbing your legs, hoping it goes away, for the rest of the night?” He quirked an eyebrow. 

“Just hurry!” she begged, rushing over and pushing her skirts out of the way before she straddled him. “Please!”

“Hush, we’re in no rush,” he tutted gently before locking their lips in a searing, more bold kiss. His hands moving down her back to grab her behind. “You need to trust me,” he whispered between kisses.

“But— oh!” she yelped at the unexpected placement of his hand. “Please, I beg of you, I can’t take it!”

One of his hands came under her skirts, grazing the skin of her calves and then up, circling her knee. He moved his mouth lower, to kiss a trail of hot kisses down her neck as his hand rose up her thigh, towards her center, where she was desperately seeking release. He brushed his thumb over the fabric of her underwear, that covered her sensitive flesh. Padmé shrieked and bucked her hips, her nails digging into his shoulders. “ _ Force _ , please…” 

He slipped his hand inside the thin layer of lace and circled her clit with his thumb before slowly, inserting one finger inside of her. Padmé whimpered and stiffened for a moment, this was something she was familiar with. Force, she was tight. He could feel his own trousers becoming too small for his erection. “Relax,” he whispered in her ear, sucking her earlobe. “It’s different, it will make you feel good. Remember,” a sensual kiss on the curve of her neck. “Pleasure.” He moved his finger out, before moving it inside again, curling it while sucking at her pulse point.

Padmé tipped her head back, letting out a strangled whimper as she twisted back and forth on his extended digit. Confident, he pushed a second finger inside of her and began pumping them in and out at a sensible pace. Probably pushing it, he trailed his lips down to the neckline of her dress, darting out his tongue to taste her skin, between the valley of her breasts.

“Vader!” Padmé gasped out his name as the dam burst and she slumped forward in exhaustion. “Oh,” she gasped, trying to catch her breath. “What  _ was  _ that?”

He raised his head, a little breathless himself, and kissed the corner of her mouth, removing his hand from the middle of her legs. “An orgasm,” he said. “Something that can happen with or without penetration. Did you enjoy it?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never felt anything like this before,” she whispered.

“I know, but how do you feel now?” He caressed her cheek, looking down at her lovingly.

“Like… like lightning. But not,” she gestured to the scars on her chest, “not like that. Smaller. And warmer.”

Vader chuckled. “So, I guess it was a one-time thing, then,” he teased, his eyes dark with lust. “You probably need to know if you enjoy it or not,” he taunted.

“Th-then,” she stammered, trying to gather her courage. “Maybe I need to have it again. To know if I enjoy it. You surprised me.”

“Oh, if you insist,” Vader said, mimicking a very bored expression. “I guess I’ll just have to try it again tomorrow. With my mouth, perhaps, this time.”

“But you’re still going to stay tonight?” she prompted. “You said you would.”

“I will, but you’ll have to let me go to the fresher before I go to bed.” this time,  _ he _ was the one shifting uncomfortably. “I need to take a shower.”  _ A cold one, preferably. _

“The fresher’s right there,” she pointed to the nearby door. “Go ahead and use anything you like.”

“Padmé…” he stared intently at her. “Er...could you...let me get up?”

“Oh!” she blushed, scrambling up. “Yes, of course! I’m sorry!”

“Thanks,” he chuckled as he stood, adjusting his pants. “I’ll be out in fifteen minutes, give or take,” Vader cleared his throat and hoped she was dazed enough not to notice the bulge in his pants, as he rushed to the fresher, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Vader did not wake to the usual incessant beeping of his bedside chrono, but rather to the soft sighs of his sleeping wife who lay with her gleaming brown curls splayed wildly over his bare chest. Slowly, Padmé’s own eyes opened and she blushed a very becoming shade of pink as she realized her head had been resting over his heart. “Sorry,” she whispered.

“Don’t be, I don’t mind,” he gave her a groggy smile, his sleepy eyes bluer than she ever seen them. “I was happy to notice you did not have any nightmares. Did you sleep well, at least?”

She nodded, then wrinkled her nose. “Do you smell eggs? And caf? Or am I crazy?” 

“No, you’re not, I smell it too,” standing a bit straighter on the bed, he spotted a tray filled with breakfast food at the desk. “Someone brought us breakfast,” he said and pushed the covers away, getting up and walking up to the tray. He grabbed the small piece of paper as Padmé wrapped one of the blankets over her shoulders and took a piece of toast.

_ Your Majesties— _

_ I took the liberty of clearing your schedule for the next five days. You need a vacation. _

_ Shmi Skywalker _

“Apparently, I’m on a vacation,” he returned to bed with the tray and placed it between the both of them. “And so are you,” he chuckled, handing her the note.

“Oh, my.” Her eyes widened as she read the note. “That certainly was... generous of her, but what in the galaxy are we meant to do in that time?”

“Maybe explore a little more of what we began last night?” He wiggled his eyebrows as he grabbed a shuura fruit. Padmé’s flush went from pink to crimson.

“Surely there’s not enough of that for five whole days,” she said innocently.

“I can get creative,” he flashed her a cocky grin. “It just depends on how many orgasms you can take. If you black out for a few seconds, I know I’m doing my job right.” Padmé shrieked and hid under her blanket cloak.

“Have mercy on a novice, sir!”

“By the time these five days are up, you  _ won’t  _ be a novice,” he snickered, laughing at her antics and finishing his fruit. 

“Don’t you think,” she dropped the blanket aside to pick up another piece of toast and spread butter over it, “that you’ll get exhausted? And maybe we should,” she paused to take a bite, “take this time to know each other a little better too?”

“I guess we can do both,” he leaned forward and stole a bite out of her piece of toast. “Anything you want to know about me?”

“All I know about you is that you were raised a Sith, you have no mother, and your first mission involved the Hutts and went very badly. Fill in the gaps,” she said, taking a spoonful of eggs and flicking it into his hair.

“Not the hair,”  he hissed, dodging. “Alright, fill the gaps,” he laid back on the bed with his own toast and looked at the ceiling, thinking. “From the little Sidious told me, my Mother died giving birth to me and he always made me feel guilty about that. Like her death was in vain because I was a disappointment for both of them,” he confessed quietly, with a sigh. “I started training as a Sith from very early on. I was five. Maybe it was even before? Do kids that young retain memories? I don’t know…” he went on, frowning and questioning himself, but speaking nonetheless. “My life was training to be the Dark Lord of the Sith. I was trained by Sidious’ former Apprentices. Darth Maul, Darth Tyrannus. They all hated me with a passion and yet, Sidious made them teach me and then he made me kill them as a final exam.” 

“Is that how you got this?” she asked, gingerly pressing a finger to the scar over his eye.

“Those memories are a little blurry. I think it was during a training session and I think I gave it to myself for being a klutz,” he frowned. “I can’t really remember what happened. But, anyway, my life isn’t that exciting. I’ve trained and I’ve killed. For him and this Empire. My hobbies were droids and improving the fleet’s ships. Sometimes, I just needed to distract myself from my failures and his punishments.” 

“I didn’t have hobbies,” she said, “or at least, if I did, I don’t remember them anymore. There are times I think I’ve forgotten more memories than I’ve had.”

“I wouldn’t put it past Sidious to erase your good memories so he could manipulate you and brainwash you more easily. I could try to get them back, using the Force, but it can be evasive and it’s always better to let them come naturally to you. They’re not gone, just save up,” he explained. “Maybe you should have hobbies? What would you like to do?”

“I don’t know,” she sighed. “My handmaidens tell me all the things I did when I was Queen of Naboo, but I had to stop being that girl so long ago, she’s one of the things I’ve forgotten.”

“What kind of things? Do you think that, if you started doing them again, it would help you feel a bit better about yourself? It can’t hurt to try, Padmé, you can have hobbies now, you can have a voice.”

She hesitated. “Sewing, maybe? I don’t know. I’ll probably be terrible at it.”

“You could learn and then if I ever ripped your clothes off, you could try sewing them,” he said cheekily, hoping he wasn’t pushing her boundaries too far from her comfort zone. She blushed yet again.

“I think that would have to take a very long time with dresses like the ones you’ve given me.”

His smile died a little. “Padmé, do you feel comfortable wearing those dresses?”

“They’re beautiful. And very finely made,” she said immediately.

“That was not what I asked,” he pointed out.

“I’m fine. They’re fine,” Padmé insisted.

“I have another idea for our little holiday,” he said suddenly and sat up. “Complete honesty. Starting now, with that question. Padmé, I ordered the dresses from the best designers in the Imperial City but that doesn’t mean I am a know-it-all when it comes to women’s fashion. I just asked the best dresses, fit for an Empress. But, if you don’t feel comfortable in some of them or any of them, just don’t use them. We’ll donate them, auction them, make some money for charity and you can order new ones that fit  _ you. _ ”

“They’re just,” she swallowed nervously, “they’re so different from what I used to wear. I don’t know how I feel about them.”

“You don’t have to wear them to please me. I’m not the one who has to spend all day in them,” he chuckled.

“I understand.” She nodded, carefully folding up her blanket. “But, um… can we still have those lessons you mentioned?”

“I thought you would never ask,” he said darkly, before grabbing her and lying on top of her in the bed, proceeding to kiss her passionately. Padmé squealed, her hips bucking up against his eagerly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Vader rocked his hips against her, hands sliding down her body sensually, taking his time kissing her, enjoying the sweet taste of her lips and massaging her tongue with his own. He started to pull up the thin fabric of her nightgown, caressing the skin of her thigh with his calloused hands.

She giggled, reaching down to catch his hand. “Stop it, that  _ tickles! _ ” She grabbed a spoon from the breakfast tray and swatted his knuckles playfully.

“Stop,” he muttered back with a chuckle against her lips, tightening her hold on her thigh. He began kissing down her throat, over her collarbone, until he grazed the swell of her breasts. “I want to take it off, can I?” Vader asked, referring to her nightgown. She nodded slowly, reaching to pull it over her head for him. He watched her with wide eyes, lust spreading over his body as he began kissing down the valley of her breasts and as he met the scars caused by his predecessor, he was careful, kissing them softly. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered.

Padmé just hissed a little at the contact as his lips brushed the fractal marks. They tingled and seethed under the unfamiliar pressure, almost like she was getting shocked all over again. “Slower,” she murmured back.

Vader nodded. He moved up to drop feather-like kisses along her left breast. He took her nipple into his mouth and sucked, gently, enough to harden it. Her eyes widened as she watched him, but she didn’t tell him to stop, just took a shuddering breath that turned into a moan as another orgasm began to build. Her nails dragged along his back, raising red tracks in the skin. He let her breast go with a wet pop, before moving to her right one, paying it the same kind of attention. His hand came up to caress her left breast, tweaking and teasing her nipple between his index and thumb. Vader was delighting himself with the small sounds she made and how receptive she was to his touch. The way her back arched against him, the moans that made his blood run south.

“Force,” she said breathlessly, her hands falling to her side. “Will you let me…?” She trailed off, unsure of how to phrase it. 

Vader released her breast and raised his head, smirking slowly. “Already? I could, but I had a little something for the big finish,” he said in a husky voice leaning forward to peck her lips.

“W-what?” she stammered, her breath hitching in excitement.

He chuckled and started moving down, and as he went, he kissed her body in the most sensual places. Reaching the apex of her thighs, he parted them with gentle movements, not wanting to scare her or bring up any unpleasant memories. “Relax, please. For me,” he muttered as if raising his voice would instantly kill the mood they were in. He kissed the skin of her inner thigh, hands rubbing up and down on her skin.

Padmé closed her eyes, forcing herself to stay relaxed. He would not hurt her. She had to believe he would not hurt her.

He kissed her clit before flicking it with his tongue, beginning to tease her with slow strokes. One of his hands came between her legs to provoke her entrance. “O-oh,” she whispered, wriggling slightly, though she was also slightly confused. He’d done the same thing last night. 

He picked up his pace, sucking at her clit, inserting his finger inside of her, just like he did the night before. In the back of his mind, he guessed that all of their intimacy would finish with oral sex for a while, given how traumatized she was with the act itself. His tongue moved in rhythm with his finger and he could feel her body vibrating, the Force telling him everything he needed to know. 

Padmé’s eyes popped open wide in shock. “Oh!” she gasped, locking her legs around his shoulders and unintentionally drawing him further into her. “Ohhhhhhhhh,  _ Force. _ ”

Vader added another finger and the pressure of his tongue over her clit increased. He moaned against her, licking and sucking, pumping his fingers in and out, her taste intoxicating him.

“P-please,” Padmé whispered, her fingers fisting in his hair. “Let me…”

“Do it,” he groaned against her sex. “Come. For me.  _ Because  _ of me.” Padmé’s release came in a wordless shout, her entire body tensing as she spilled straight into his mouth and then collapsing back against the bed.

“Oh,” she said again. “That was… you’re incredible.”

Vade raised his head from between her legs and chuckled, as he licked her lips. “Thank you,” he kissed the inside of her knee, before kneeling. “Think you can do that and some variations multiple times?”

“I’m certainly willing to try,” she said with a little laugh.

“Good, because I’m going to spend the next five days spoiling you with attention and orgasms,” Vader promised as he leaned forward and captured her lips in a searing kiss.


	7. The Senate and the Compromise

“You said there was something you wanted to tell me?” Padmé asked, adjusting the purple ribbons that were currently decorating her skin as she reclined on the red couch in his bedroom. The garment strategically crossed her body leaving her breasts and womanhood exposed, framed with embroidered roses and leaves. Part of her wanted to be covered in the black sheets on his bed for the sake of her modesty, but the other half almost enjoyed the little costume. There was a voice in the back of her head that sounded like Sidious, reminding her that she was dressed as a whore, but she also felt _beautiful_ _,_ just a bit. As Vader often told her she was.

Vader was too entertained devouring her with his eyes to even pay attention to what she was asking. His eyes had widened and darkened with the amount of lust he felt. He was glad that his silk pajamas pants were loose enough to hide his desire, Padmé was still uncomfortable with that particular part of his body and for the past two months, all they’d done had been oral-based. On his end. He never took so many cold showers as he did now…”I’m sorry, did you say anything?”

“At dinner,” she reminded him, rolling onto her stomach. “You said there was something you wanted to tell me. What is it?”

“You decide to question me when you’re wearing…” he waved at her. “ _That_? It’s cruel! I can’t concentrate.” She blinked, tilting her head innocently.

“I can leave if you wish. I thought you would like it.”

“No, no, no leaving,” he sat by her legs on the couch. He trailed the tip of his fingers over her exposed skin. “I could just stare at you all night and be happy,” he muttered, dazed. “What I wanted to tell you is about the new Senate that I’ve been putting together,” Vader said, his palm squeezing one of her cheeks. “I want you to take control of it.”

“Y-you do?” she stammered in shock, both from his offer and the unexpected squeeze. “Are you sure I’m ready?”

“Padmé, if you don’t try, you will never be ready,” Vader mumbled distractedly as he leaned down to kiss up and down her back. “Just channel your inner Queen, I know there’s one inside of you, waiting to rule and lead this Empire to greatness. You just have to let yourself breathe and show that you are the one in control.”

“Alright,” she nodded, shifting back to her original position so that she could shyly brush his lips. “I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you,” his answer was almost inaudible, just a move of his lips as he focused on the way her body looked. “I took the liberty of involving Eirtaé in this decision and she has everything you will need for tomorrow’s first session,” he pecked her lips. “But, right now, the last thing I want to think about is work.”

She blushed a very attractive shade of pink that complimented the purple of her lingerie. “What _would_ you prefer, then?”

“You, of course,” he said in a predatory way. “I can’t get tired of you.” She shivered but smiled.

“You’re just saying that.”

“Why can’t you just believe me? It’s been a year, after all.” Vader chuckled, kissing down her shoulders, loving how she shivered under his touch.

“I’m not used to being told I’m beautiful,” she replied quietly, fidgeting with one of her loose curls as she slowly spread her legs open for him. “Or… wanted.”

“You  _should_ get used to it, because I’m not going anywhere, anytime soon. Unless, of course, somebody is successful on an assassination attempt,” he joked. She didn’t appreciate the dark bit of humor, biting her lip and looking down. “I’m kidding, Angel, I’m sorry,” Vader mumbled and with one finger underneath her chin, he gently made her look at him. “I’m always going to be here to protect you. I promise.”

“I understand,” she whispered, nodding slowly as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

* * *

“I can’t breathe.”

“Slowly, milady,” Dormé said, pressing a reassuring hand to Padmé’s back. “You’re going to do wonderfully.”

“Here’s the agenda,” Eirtaé said, passing over the datapad. “It should be a fairly full day, but you can handle it.”

“Eirtaé!” Sabé hissed, swatting the blonde’s impeccable bun. “You’re not helping! Come on, Padmé, into the pod now. It’s going to be alright. We’re with you the entire time.”

Padmé swallowed, trying to quell her shaking knees as she stepped into the Chancellor’s pod. It launched into the rotunda and her stomach immediately started to rage and quake. Every single senator and representative was watching her, all of them judging her. There was her face on the massive holoprojectors, larger than life for everyone in the galaxy to see. She looked sick and frightened and weak, and the blood was pounding in her ears,  and her breath had completely disappeared. In a panic, she slammed her hand down on the controls to return the pod to the exit.

“Padmé?” someone whispered worriedly.

“No!” she shouted, breaking away from them and running as fast as she could. Somewhere along the way, her shoes fell off, but she kept running, straight to the speeder that had brought her to the Senate building. “Get me out of here,” she told the trooper. “Now!”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said in surprise. Padmé curled up in the backseat, hugging her knees and crying as they made the journey back to the palace. “Should I tell the Emperor you’re back?” the clone asked.

“N-no,” she stammered. She didn’t want him to know how horribly she’d failed him. There was a knock at the speeder door and Shmi opened it, smiling at her kindly.

“I have tea ready and waiting in your room, Empress,” the older woman said, offering Padmé a hand. “Come on, it’s going to be alright.”

“But I said I could do it—”

“He won’t blame you,” Shmi insisted as she guided Padmé up the stairs into the palace. “I won’t let him.” Padmé looked at her doubtfully. “Trust me, dear.”

* * *

It took him _hours_ to what should have been a quiet day, to reorganize and calm down the entire Senate. It was so fragile, after Sidious refused to give them any kind of responsibility or voice in the Galaxy's affairs, that Vader knew he had to make this work. For these Senators, everything could be a good reason for a rebellion and he already had enough Rebel cells in his hands to deal with, he didn’t need new ones popping up around the Galaxy. He thought Padmé would be a good face to lead the charge. With her previous experience as Queen of Naboo and with an impeccable reputation, she had made Naboo thrive in the two years she reigned! Vader knew she had it within her to be a great leader. That was why it was so Force-damn frustrating that she kept holding herself back like this! It had been a year, he had moved mountains for her, to get the help she needed and at the smallest of things, they were back where they’d started.

“That was the last Senator, sir,” Rex said, entering the throne room. “I don’t know what you’ve told them, but they left here with a better face.”

“What did you think I told them, Rex? I had to tell them I would handle it. Alone. _Yet_ another thing I have to do on my own.” Vader snapped, standing up abruptly from the throne.

“Maybe this was just a hiccup, sir,” Rex pointed out warily. “If the Empress told you she could handle the Senate, I see no reason to doubt her.”

“ _Really,_ Rex? I have just spent the last six hours talking with every Senator, finding a way to shut them up about having someone mentally _unfit_ running the sessions! I don’t even want to know the scandal that will be portrayed on the HoloNet.” Vader hissed. “Where is she?”

“In her wing, she hasn’t been seen since the—”

“Epic failure?” Vader scowled.

“Yes, sir,” Rex sighed, shoulders dropping. “Sir, may I suggest that you don’t exaggerate your reaction with the Empress? It’s not my place, I am aware. But I’m also aware of the pressure that it was for her Majesty this morning.”

“Thank you for the suggestion, Rex, but my reaction will be whatever I deem necessary,” Vader’s nostrils flared as he stormed out of the throne room.

Rex shook his head and brought the comm installed in the arm of his armor close to his lips. “Fives, warn Shmi that he’s on his way. And he’s not happy.”

“ _Roger that, Captain._ ”

* * *

Shmi was sitting by Padmé’s side as the Empress lay on her bed, tenderly brushing out the younger woman’s curls. “Don’t say _anything,”_ she warned. “She feels terrible enough already.”

“Is she sleeping?” Vader asked from the doorway, arms cross over his chest.

“No,” Padmé said miserably into the pillow that was covering her face.

Vader narrowed his eyes. “Do you know what I spent my afternoon doing?”

“Stop it!” Shmi barked, eyes blazing. “She knows what happened, she knows you’re disappointed. But shouting at her is not going to help _anything._ ”

There was always something to Shmi’s stern voice that made him step back and reflect on his actions. Vader never knew what it was, but it felt wrong disrespecting Shmi whenever she got her angry look. “I am _not_ shouting, why do you all keep mistaking my tone of voice with _shouting?”_ He hissed through his teeth. “Fine, I’ll leave you two alone. I have an incredible amount of work to do, since today I wasn’t able to do _anything._ Not even _Court._ ”

Padmé screamed, muffled by the plush velvet over her face. “So get rid of me!”

“ _Don’t_ be dramatic,” he scowled.

She sat up, the white iridescent scales of her dress shimmering in the dim light as she flung the pillow at him. “What do you suggest, then? You think I don’t how horribly I failed? How much I disappointed you? What solution do you have?”

“Tell me the truth next time. That you are _not_ ready! That you _don’t_ want to do it instead of constantly trying to please me and make a scene like today,” he cried out.

“I thought I was!” she protested, tears streaming down her face. “I’m not doing this on purpose!”

“I can’t keep coming up with solutions for you, you have to start fighting by yourself too. You’re not a hopeless child!” He argued. “I _don’t_ have solutions right now but I am open to hearing the ones _you_ have.”

“I just told you, _get rid of me_ ,” she said, collapsing back on the mattress. Shmi sighed, shaking her head at the two of them.

“Perhaps the answer is to start with something smaller?” she offered. “The entire Senate is a large body, and she doesn’t know any of them. Sponsoring a few small pieces of legislation and making friends with the representatives and Senators who present the bills would be a more gradual process.”

“I don’t know, you have to ask her that,” Vader muttered annoyed, crossing his arms again. “And _don’t_ say ‘get rid of me’ again, or I swear to the Force…” he trailed off, shoulders tensing up at the contained anger.

“Why don’t you take a little time to think about it while I talk to his majesty,” Shmi told Padmé, standing up and beckoning Vader outside the room, making sure the door was closed before she spoke again. “Haven’t I told you a thousand times that you cannot lose your temper with her?”

“I’m sorry, but I was the one that was stuck the whole afternoon making sure the Senate wouldn’t collapse and that no, the Empress is not mentally incapacitated,” Vader hissed. “I know what you keep saying and how many times you say it, but it has been a year, Shmi, why does everyone need to walk on eggshells around her? Why can’t she just stand up for herself, blast it?”

“Because she was forced to spend eight years of her life having her humanity beaten out of her until she was nothing but a vessel for her husband’s sadistic pleasure!” Shmi reminded him furiously. “Do you not understand how deep those scars can run? How hard can that recovery be? You can’t just tell her to be better and have that be it! Even with the counseling she’s receiving, it could take years.”

Vader said nothing and just leaned against the wall, suddenly very tired. “Years…” he whispered, more to himself. “Let's forget today ever happened. I’m going to take measures so this does not show up on the HoloNet. If she wants to follow your advice, have her speak with Eirtaé, she can coordinate from there.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Stay with her, you are much better at dealing with this than I am.”

“You can’t rush into this,” Shmi told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You were always the kind of person to charge in headfirst without a plan when it suited you. This is not one of those times. You need to treat it more like you did your takeover of the Empire. Plan. Think it through before you act. Plan for everything.”

“I’ve been planning, for a whole year and I’m back to square one. I can’t do this. Not tonight, I mean. I wasn’t lying when I said I have a ton of work I had to leave behind to attend to the Senate. Which also reminds me I need to coordinate the Senate’s hearings to my own agenda.”

“She thinks you hate her.”

Vader shook his head. “That’s ridiculous.”

“I’ve been hearing it for hours.”

“She’s behaving like a child. I don’t hate her. I’m disappointed. I’ll speak with her tomorrow or I’ll probably just _shout_ again,” he muttered.

“You’re acting just as childish,” his housekeeper said bluntly.

“I’m the Emperor, you know, you can’t just go around calling me childish,” he narrowed his eyes.

“I was the one wiping your bottom when you were a baby, I can call you whatever I want,” Shmi retorted.

Vader rolled his eyes, blushing. “Whatever, I have work to do. Stay with her, I will do fine on my own.”

“I’ll make sure there’s something for you to eat in your study,” she said, opening the door again. “Good night.”

* * *

Breakfast the next morning was unusually tense. Neither Vader nor Padmé said a word as they ate, and their aides could only watch awkwardly.

“I do not hate you,” Vader said out of the blue, playing with the fruit he had on his plate. “In case you were wondering,” he muttered.

Padmé nodded quietly. “I— Shmi showed me a bill Senator Organa of Alderaan wants to propose. It’s supposed to help women who… who are like I was.”

“Do you want to support it?” He asked just as quietly, eyes on his plate as he pushed the pieces of fruit around.

She nodded. “I think I could do well with it. He seemed kind in the HoloNet footage she showed me.”

Vader widened his eyes, bewildered. A year into their marriage, she still feared him and flinched if he made an unannounced move. But Bail Organa of Alderaan, with whom she’d never had any direct contact, was _kind._ “Then it’s your choice. Summon him to the Palace if you want,” he muttered, annoyed, dropping the fork on his plate and getting up. “I have a meeting with the Banking Clan and the representatives of the Outer Rim to attend to. I’ll see you tonight if I have time.”

“I understand,” she nodded quietly. “I hope things go well.”

“I hope so too,” he laid his napkin on the table and left the dining hall without another word. Padmé pushed her plate out of the way and dropped her head on the table, groaning. He could say otherwise, but she knew he was still upset with her. That he might as well hate her.

“Come on, my lady,” Eirtaé reminded her. “We have a meeting to set up with Senator Organa.”

* * *

"Your majesty, Miss Padmé is in the antechamber and requesting permission to join you for lunch,” Threepio said, coming through the doorway rather hurriedly. “Shall I let her in?”

Vader removed his legs from the table and coughed as her nearly choked in a piece of meat. He pushed the datapad to the side and nodded. “Send her in,” he said hoarsely as he chugged down a glass of water. Padmé came into the room, smiling almost as brightly as the gold one-shoulder dress she was wearing. The attached cape fluttered out behind her, the gold contrasting her curls vividly and beautifully. “How did it go with the Banking Clan?” she asked him, taking a seat on the couch.

“They’ll help some of the Outer Rim underprivileged sections much to their dismay and my satisfaction,” he said suspiciously. “I take it the meeting with Senator Organa went well? You look...happy.” He noticed and it was a bittersweet kind of feeling. He doesn’t remember seeing her this happy because of him.

“It was very productive,” she said, nodding. “He actually got a call from his wife halfway through, and so we included her in the discussion too. She’s a lovely woman, very sweet.”

“Yes, I’ve only ever heard good things about them.” Vader nodded.

“They’re trying to have a baby,” Padmé told him as Threepio brought in the cart with lunch. “I gave them the name of the specialist that served me. That’s where I was for that month before we met.”

“I hope it works for them,” he said and refused the water Threepio tried to give him, opting for something with a little more kick. “Did you get anywhere with the bill?”

She nodded. “I suggested that he expand it to cover more of the Outer Rim. I remember, even before you arrived, that was always a threat he would use.”

“It makes sense. The Outer Rim is where the most of the slave or former slave population is concentrated and the number of women that have been through a situation like yours is elevated. I’m not saying the Mid-Rim is free of these cases, but they are not as known. It was a good idea,” he praised.

“Thank you.” She ducked her head to hide her blush. “We’re going to try and make it ready for next month.”

“You’ll be busy then, maybe it will be a good thing.”

“I hope so.” Padmé nodded, getting up and walking over to take his hand. “I’m sorry for yesterday. I told you I was ready because I thought I was. I told the doctor about it this morning and she called it a trigger. I’m going to have more sessions from now on. So that I can get better, and I won’t be a burden on you again.”

Vader squeezed her hand back. “I know you did. I was frustrated, that was all. You’re not a burden to me, Padmé, how many times do I have to tell you that?” He sighed. “Have the sessions you need. Have the doctor move to the Palace, if it’s better. I’m happy you found something to focus your energy on as I’m sure Senator Organa is as well.”

“Do you want me to go?” she asked, pulling her hand away nervously. “It seems like you’re still angry.”

“I’m not angry and you can stay and finish your lunch. I just have a lot to deal with. Honestly, if I seem distracted, it’s because I have pending business to attend to, it’s not your fault.”

“Oh.” She nodded, sitting back down and taking a small piece of bread. “Do you have a council to help you with these things? I remember I had one on Naboo.”

“I’m working on building one, it’s just not easy when you don’t know who to trust. I got rid of everyone that worked with Sidious, I knew I couldn’t trust them. I’m still young to the throne, there’s plenty of people out there that would like to watch me fall.”

“I could… help you find them?” she suggested. “From the Senate, once Senator Organa and I start meeting with them for votes. I’m the only person who worked with Sidious that you kept.”

“You’re different. I’ve told you this before too,” he leaned back. “Padmé, baby steps. I would like to get your advice too, yes, but with what happened yesterday in the Senate, I don’t know if it would be another… trigger for you.”

“I’ll be careful,” she promised. “I don’t want it to happen again either.”

Vader frowned. “If you think you can do it…”

“It’ll be smaller, and I’ll ask my doctor before I do anything,” she insisted.

“Then I guess it’s okay,” he nodded. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me.”

He stood from his seat. “I have to get back to the throne room,” he leaned forward and kissed her forehead, lips lingering on her skin. “I don’t know if I have time for dinner, my day is scheduled to end late and I want to squeeze some training too.”

“I’ll manage,” she said quietly. “Perhaps… before you go to bed?”

Vader was almost out of the door when she spoke. “What?”

“We could see each other then. If you wanted.”

“I can stop by to wish you goodnight if you’re not asleep already,” he briefly smiled at her.

“I would like that.” She looked down yet again. “You should go. Before you’re late.”

He hesitated, like he was having second thoughts but then shook his head with a sigh and left.


	8. The Progress and the Banquet

_“Yet another bill backed by the Empress has passed the Senate today, this one advocating for the improved quality of education across the galaxy. As usual, we extended an invitation for her to join us, but received a refusal from her Chief of Staff—”_

“Ugh, shut it off,” Sabé groaned. “They’re just going to go into speculation now. Like always.”

“We all know what would happen if I went on there,” Padmé cut her off. “The doctor said it wouldn’t be healthy for me.”

“Forget about that,” Eirtaé interrupted. “You need to go talk to your husband, he’s leaving soon, and you _will_ have to pick up some of the slack while he’s not on Imperial Center.”

“I know, and I’m actually ready.” The handmaidens looked at each other doubtfully and Padmé huffed. “It’s been five months since that! You know I actually mean it this time!”

“Still. Go see him. And if maybe you want to finally pick a bedroom to stay in permanently while you’re there, that’d be wonderful too,” Rabé interjected, making Saché giggle and Dormé and Yané roll their eyes.

Padmé sighed, adjusting the silver buckle at her neck before getting up from her couch and setting aside the quilt square she’d been using for practice needlework. “Alright, I’m going.” The journey to Vader’s wing was quiet and she didn’t find him in his study. Which generally meant only one thing. Sighing, she twisted up her hair and headed further down the wing to his workshop, just in time to hear him shout something in binary that was probably a swear. “What are we making today?” she asked.

Vader, Threepio, and Artoo all turned to look at her, surprised. Vader was surrounded by scrap metal and a skeleton of a round-looking android in front of him. He had grease stains on his forearms and a smudge on his cheek.

“Do you need me to ask again?” she prompted with a little smile.

“No, no,” Vader shook his head and leaned back. “Artoo was just jealous of the new prototype I’m making.”

“So, you’re all packed for the tour through the Mid Rim?”

“Shmi was taking care of it, so I think I am,” he chuckled and grabbed a cloth, cleaning his forearms. “I heard your new bill was approved. From what I’ve heard, things have been going very well for the projects you’ve been supporting.”

“Yes.” She nodded. “I’m… I’d like to think I’m making friends too.” What she didn’t say was that she was concerned some of them might have been harboring sympathy for the Rebels. That she didn’t want to like them as much as they did if they ever got caught. “I’ve been practicing these last months, the doctor thinks that if I keep them short, I can do the court sessions while you’re gone.”

“Oh, I was thinking of canceling them until I got back. I didn’t want to ask you to do it. I won’t be gone for very long, I’m sure the Imperial Center will survive without the sessions. This way, you don’t have to worry about it,” he explained, pulling down the sleeves of his white shirt, a novelty in his wardrobe, definitely Shmi’s doing.

“I’ll try one at least,” she said, moving her pale blue skirts away from a large grease puddle. “If it doesn’t go well, then they could be canceled. I just didn’t want you to feel it was piling up while you were gone. Not if I could help.”

“Padmé, if you do one and then it gets canceled, people will know you are not able to do it and the HoloNet will be unstoppable. I won’t be here to shield you if it happens,” Vader argued. “I know you want to help and I’m thankful for that. But I think any major events should be canceled or postponed until I return.” He grabbed the double-breasted, military-style jacket from the stool and spotted a grease stain on the soft fabric. Shmi was going to kill him. She always complained he ruined perfectly good clothes with grease and oil from his machines.

“I understand.” She nodded. “Oh, and the handmaidens said we need to pick a bedroom.”

“Why? Because they said so?” Vader raised his eyebrows. “Careful, you’re going to stain your dress and then they will have more reasons to complain,” he warned as he helped her maneuver until they had both left the workshop, Artoo and Threepio following them. “I don’t see why, I mean, we don’t sleep together every night.”

“I think they don’t like the irregularity. You know Eirtaé.” Padmé sighed. “Maybe we could have this conversation elsewhere, for the sake of our clothes?”

“Or maybe we can have this conversation when I get back? I need to do a check-up on my ship, talk to Rex and see with Shmi if I’m missing anything for the trip.”

She nodded. “Of course. You’re stopping In Naboo, yes?”

“I think so, on our way back to the Imperial Center.”

“Will you say hello to my family?”

“Of course,” he smiled. “I don’t know why you don’t visit them more often.”

“It’s complicated,” she muttered, looking away.

“They’re your family, Padmé,” Vader pointed out. “Take it from someone who doesn’t have a family, nothing it’s ever too complicated.”

“Fine, I just don’t want to talk about what happened to me with them,” she said sullenly. “It’s hard enough doing it with my doctor.”

“They won’t ask if you don’t want them to. You should give them more credit,” Vader said. “Listen…” he stopped walking, gently grabbing her elbow. “I’ll be gone for two months. Will you be alright?”

“I have the handmaidens and a few more potential bills to work on. Will  _you_ be alright?” she asked, frowning slightly.

“Chances are, this won’t be the last time I will be away. Why won’t I be alright?”

“I don’t know, you just seem a little uncomfortable.”

“Not because I’m going away. I’m used to the long missions. I am not expecting to be just blood and blasters like a regular, military mission, but traveling is something I feel very comfortable with. I just want to be sure you will be able to handle everything while I’m gone.”

“I’ll be alright,” she insisted.

“Okay, then I believe you. Now I really need to go,” he kissed her cheek in a hurry, before heading to the hangar.

* * *

“You should take her with you.”

“Who? Padmé?” He turned to Shmi as he buttoned the last button of his black, formal jacket. “Shmi, please, I know she’s made advances but I am not going on a tour with the Empress, so the Empress can spend her days, locked away at the cabin, terrified to have a panic attack in public. It’s… easier this way. For the both of us.”

“Or maybe the new environments of other worlds will be exactly what she needs,” Shmi proposed. “She’s handling herself well at the Opera and parties, similar events on new worlds might be helpful. She hasn’t left Imperial Center in a year.”

“But this is not Opera or parties. These are going to be meetings with Senators and Ambassadors, political strategy…”

“Who all have spouses that need to socialize.”

“Do you want to know the truth?” He asked quietly, attaching the hilt of his lightsaber to his belt.

“Of course I do.”

“I don’t trust her. Not to these types of things. There are still so many triggers, so many things that set off the worst part of her mind. I know it’s not her fault, but I don’t want to submit her to unfamiliar people and environments.” Vader sighed. “She’s not a hostage, she could have visited her family. I’m not chaining her here.”

“But you wouldn’t approve if she went off her on her own, would you?” Shmi pointed out. “You should at least give her the chance to decide for herself if she wants to go.”

“I did that with the Senate. See how well that went,” he said sarcastically.

“She’s improved since then.”

Vader bit his lip, deep in thought. “I guess I’ll ask her.”

“Gently,” Shmi reminded him. “Oh, and you might want to consider talking about deciding on one bedroom. It’s getting to be a hassle for the staff.”

“We don’t sleep together that often,” Vader rubbed the back of his neck. “This way, neither of us invades the other private space. We’re good like this.”

“Hmmm.” Shmi cocked her head. “Well, if you insist.”

“I do. Now, I have to find Padmé and ask her if she wants to come with me, or not. If she happens to want to come, we are going to need to wait for her stuff to be prepared and load,” Vader said.

Shmi just gave him a little smile. “Perhaps.”

“You should get ready too, if she wants to stay, we’ll leave immediately,” Vader rolled her eyes. “And _stop_ being so cryptic!”

“What would be the fun in that, your majesty? Consider it punishment for ruining that new jacket.”

“You’re such a Mom,” he mumbled as he left the room, in search of his wife, only to knock directly into her.

“Sorry!” she blurted. “I just— I can’t seem to find any of my clothes, they’ve disappeared from my wardrobe.”

“What?” Vader asked, confused before realization dawned on him and he looked back at the closed door of his bedroom. “Padmé, would you by any chance consider coming with me on the tour?” _I guess you’re already packed thanks to your handmaidens and my meddling housekeeper._

Her eyes widened. “I… I wanted to ask why you hadn’t asked me, but I thought it would have been rude.”

He looked shocked. “I didn’t ask because I didn’t think it would be something that interested you. Not with what happened with the Senate, five months ago.”

“Some of the bills I’m working on have sponsors in the Mid-Rim. Or will need their votes,” she said, apparently talking to herself. “And I suppose my doctor could come along, I’ll have sessions when there’s time in the schedule…”

“Padmé, if you’re absolutely sure that this is the right step for you, I won’t oppose. I was afraid if I asked, you would feel the pressure to come with me and with that, hurt the progress you made,” Vader explained further. “But we’re ready to take off if you’re ready which, from the lack of clothes in your wardrobe, I believe you are.”

She slapped her own forehead, groaning. “I mentioned to them that I wanted to go a little bit. It was an offhand comment, I didn’t think they’d actually do anything about it!”

“You could have asked me, you know?”

“I didn’t want you to think I was overstepping or trying to please you.”

Vader pressed his lips together and shook his head. “Nevermind that now. I think you should summon your handmaidens. I’ll meet you at the hangar.”

“How long?”

“One hour.”

“I can do that. But I’m only bringing two of them. Whichever of them are the least guilty in this conspiracy,” she muttered.

Chuckling, he kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you in an hour.”

* * *

Padmé sat on the bed in their shared cabin, slowly unlacing the skirt of her silvery blue dress. “I suppose I should listen to you more,” she admitted softly, watching her husband by the door to the cabin fresher. “It wasn’t terrible to get to see them.”

“They were very happy to see you as well, Padmé,” Vader said as he appeared and leaned against the doorway, freshly shaved and only wearing his leather pants. “You know, they are going to start thinking I’m the one who doesn’t let you visit,” he teased.

“You were dancing with both my nieces on your feet tonight, I think they know it’s not your fault,” Padmé retorted, rolling her eyes as she stopped with her skirt and removed the silver and moonstone crown from her hair.

“In the honesty of our marriage vows, I just need to admit that Pooja asked me to marry her and she seemed quite determined,” he stage-whispered.

“You can,” she told him. “But only if I die tragically,  _and_ she’s of age. And still wants to marry you, assuming it’s not a crush.”

“Oh, no, she said she  _really_ loved me and I was prettier than all of the boys in her class,” he laughed, sitting down on the bed. “I was tempted to say yes, lead a double life, but we had to part ways,” he sighed. “If you’re wondering, that’s why she was clinging to me and crying when we left.”

“You broke her heart.”

“No, you did. I told her you wouldn’t let me get married to her,” he smirked. “She might not speak to you for a while,” Vader snickered.

“We didn’t speak much to begin with,” Padmé pointed out grimly as she started removing the pins that held her curls in careful twists and ringlets. “She and Ryoo are the ones I wanted to avoid the most. They were born after I became Empress. They don’t know me as anything else. They don’t understand, and they’re too young for me to explain it to them.”

“They’re children and your nieces. Your sister spoke about you, I’m sure, you shouldn’t push them away. They love you.” He began helping her with the pins.

“I know. That’s why I don’t want to ruin it for them by telling them the truth. But I also can’t find it in me to lie to them.”

“Well, you don’t have to explain to them anything right now.” He kissed the curve of her neck. “I was glad to see you relaxed around your family for once,” Vader confessed.

“I surprised myself,” she confessed. “I thought Theed Royal Palace would be harder for me. That was the last place I was really Padmé Naberrie Amidala.”

“I like to think it was because you’re beginning to be her again, but that’s something you should speak with your doctor about.”

“Right, right, I’ll do that tomorrow,” she nodded. “We’re on our way to Chommell Minor next, yes?”

Vader nodded, not resisting her exposed skin and kissing down her shoulder blades.

“When did we last…” she trailed off, fiddling with the tie between her breasts before pulling it loose.

“I think it was two months ago,” he replied, guessing the rest of her question. “We have been busy. You have your bills, I have...everything else. It’s complicated. That’s why I don’t see why they keep insisting on us having a shared bedroom.”

“They got their wish here. Maybe the answer is just to live on a cruiser from now on.”

“There was a time of my life, where that didn’t sound like such a bad idea,” he chuckled as he pushed the rest of the fabric of her revealing dress away from his path. “I’ve told Shmi already that we both need our private space. You, especially. They’ll drop the subject once we’re back, you’ll see.”

“Mmm.” She spun away from him and raised her legs so that she could pull off the lace underwear she’d been wearing. “Oh, sorry. Did you want to do that?”

“No,” he pulled her down on the bed and climbed over her. “It will just give me easier access,” Vader whispered before kissing her, one hand coming between them to tease her.

“Torturer,” she laughed, wriggling closer. “I haven’t even gotten to wash yet! And I’m sore from all that dancing!”

“Fine, I’ll stop,” he leaned back, sitting on his heels and raising his hands. “Hurry, or I might fall asleep,” he smirked.

“Well,” she hesitated. “I suppose it could be done in the morning.” Even as she felt the now-familiar tingle between her legs, she didn’t feel quite the same sense of urgency. “Vader?”

He leaned forward, covering her body with his again. “Hmm?” He replied, busy kissing her neck and collarbone.

“I know it’s horrible that I’m only bringing this now, but you never, um, finish the way I do,” she whispered. “Is there something like what you do to me that I could...” She trailed off turning bright red.

Vader pulled back, surprised. Yes, he has been finishing but in the showers, or away from her. “There is, but you don’t have to. I... well, I can take care of myself... on my own... with the help of a lot of cold water.”

“Will you let me try?” she asked, taking the thicker ribbon that had come off her dress and carefully tying it over her eyes. “Just… as a precaution.”

“I…” He had no idea how he was going to make it work.

“I trust you,” she said, grasping for his hand. “Show me. I can do it.”

Nodding, he held her hand and pulled her up, until she was on her knees on the bed. He took off his pants, letting them join her dress on the floor. He sat in front of her, his member was semi-hard already and slowly took her hand. “We can stop whenever you want,” he said as a precaution, taking her hand to where he needed it the most. Padmé sucked in a surprised breath.He closed her hand around his cock, hissing at the contact. “Just move it, up and down, without squeezing it too hard, please,” he instructed as he moved his hand over hers, teaching her the movement.

Padmé caught the rhythm, even quickening the pace as her hand moved back and forth “Like this?” He moaned and removed his own hand.

“Yes,” he affirmed, leaning back. “Just like that.”

“It’s different,” she said simply.

Vader groaned. “Good,” he mumbled as he closed his eyes, feeling the pressure of his own orgasm building.

“How do I know when?”

It was getting harder for him to speak, or think, clearly. “You’ll know, just don’t stop.”

“Alright,” she took a deep breath and continued her movements, still bewildered by how different an experience this was for her. Even the sensation was unfamiliar, this felt… warm, and full of life somehow. “Now?”

Vader tensed up as he felt his orgasm hit, he groaned loudly as her movements helped him ride out the waves of pleasure that were given by her, finally. Everything did it for him. The way she handled him, so innocently, blindfolded, on her knees and naked for him. “Yes,” he said breathlessly, as he fell back in bed. “Now,” he breathed.

“Is it always this… sticky?” she asked.

He took a few seconds to regain his breath. “Yeah, but, let me clean your hands,” he said, moving to sit, still a little breathless. He went into the fresher and dapped a fluffy towel in water. He came back and gently took her hand, cleaning the semen and then pecking her lips.

“Did I do it right?”

“Yes,” he whispered, joining their foreheads. “Let me put on my sleep pants and you can take the blindfold off,” he said as he went to his luggage and grabbed his sleepwear, quickly dressing the silky material over his legs. “Ok, you’re safe,” Vader told her jokingly.

Slowly, Padmé unwound the blindfold, looking at him with the flush still in her cheeks. “That was… I just...”

“Don’t be embarrassed,” he climbed into bed and kissed her cheek. “You did great. This is another step forward.”

“You can go to sleep now,” she told him. “I’m going to wash up.”

“Wait, don’t I get to return the favor?” Vader smiled.

“If you want to.”

He responded by kissing her and pushing her back down on the bed.

* * *

There was something about Chommel Minor that made Vader antsy. He had a bad feeling about the visit ever since they landed. He wanted to say it was because the planet was under a conflict between the Rebels and the Imperial Troops, but it went beyond that. Throughout the tour they were given by the Ambassador and the political meetings that were arranged, he remained on high alert, the hairs on the back of his neck would stand at every new person he met. When it came the time to the feast in honor of the Imperial couple, Vader was on edge, pacing on the empty hallway. The black cape floated around him, the metallic lining inside reflecting on the floors, walls, and ceilings.

“Is everything alright?” Padmé asked, emerging from their suite, a vision in glittering onyx satin and lace, her hair swept into one sleek knot on the top of her head.

Vader turned around to face her and suddenly all of his worries dissipated. “You look amazing,” he breathed with a small smile as he came to stand before her. “We’re matching,” he pointed out.

“I think that was the point.” She extended her right hand, displaying the black leather cuff wrapped around her wrist. “Shall we?”

He placed her hand on his elbow. “Yes. Everyone’s waiting for us.”

“We’re not late, are we?” she asked.

“Even if we are, we are the guests of honor. And the Imperial couple. We can do no wrong,” he joked.

“I don’t know about that last part,” she pointed out. “ _I_ can still do wrong, or you wouldn’t be so worried about me showing up on the HoloNet.”

“The HoloNet can be cruel,” Vader stopped walking. “Padmé, I can deal with them, but after all the years you spent under _his_ thumb, I don’t want any more cruelty in your life and they won’t understand about the problems and demons that you’re facing.”

“Oh.” Padmé’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

“Yes, so do you understand why I want to avoid giving them reasons to stalk you and trash you? There will come a time you won’t need my protection because you’re going to kick some serious ass on the Senate, but while we get there, I just want to do my duty as your husband.” He raised his hand to caress her cheek. She took it and moved it away from her face.

“You have. Right now, we need to do our duty as Emperor and Empress.”

“Why do I feel like you’re suddenly mad at me?” He raised his eyebrows as they resumed their previous pose an began walking towards the great hall again.

“I’m not mad. It’s just… talking about the HoloNet made me remember they’ve been following us for this whole tour.”

“Not one bit of bad press, we have to pride ourselves in that.”

“You’ve just cursed us,” she warned as they left the palace for the outdoor pavilion where the banquet was being hosted. Shmi smiled at them from the side with the other servants, and the fanfare began as a salute to them when suddenly, a loud crash and boom shook the pavilion.

And then came the explosion. A mad blaze of fire that seemed to consume the sky as masked and hooded figures flooded the pavilion, blasters firing.

Vader was quick to push Padmé out of the way, as he drew his lightsaber, the red blade illuminating his face in a terrifying light. The Imperial troops began to swarm the pavilion, Vader could distinctly hear Rex’s voice shouting orders.

“Padmé, stay here,” he hid her behind a turned table and trusted a discarded blaster into her hands. “Don’t move and protect yourself at all costs.” She nodded, grabbing his hand for a moment.

“Be careful.”

Vader gave her a sharp nod before turning away. He knew...he knew he had a bad feeling about the trip. The guests and servants were all running in different directions, but away from the fire and blaster shots. He thought of Shmi and looked around, trying to spot her, but he couldn’t. Two Rebels came in his direction, they were wielding lightsabers so they were among the few Jedi that had survived and joined forces with the Rebels. He fought them at the same time, not breaking a sweat. For Jedi, they had lost their touch with a lightsaber. He cut the hand of one and the leg of another before moving forward into battle. He used the Force to shove a Rebel away from Rex, and then to lift a Rebel who had tried to assassinate the Chommel Minor Ambassador. He lifted the man in the air and easily cracked his neck with a flick of his wrist.

One of the Rebels then overturned the table Padmé had been hiding beneath, his dark eyes boring into her. “Padmé Amidala. The traitor whore. The Force blesses me in granting this chance to kill you.” Padmé screamed, grabbing at the scattered cutlery and dishes for a knife which she tried to drive into his chest, only for him to catch her hands. “Any last words?”

The Rebel began choking, turning pale and his eyes widened. He was lifted into the air before Vader appeared, eyes blazing as he threw the Rebel into a table full of food. He lifted Padmé. “Did he hurt you?” He whispered, checking every inch of her face. She shook her head, strands of her hair falling loose.

“I recognize the symbol on their armor. Partisans. Saw Gerrera’s faction—” Before she could say anything else, an even greater explosion rocked the pavilion, throwing both of them to the ground.

Vader hissed, his eyes turning more gold by the second. He had almost landed on top of Padmé, had it not been for his Force reflexes and supporting their fall. “Padmé, think you can find Shmi and your handmaidens? I need to help the troops get rid of the Partisans. Please, I need you to be brave right now, for me.”

“I’ll try,” she stammered, stripping off her cloak and tossing it away. “But where do we go?”

“The ship. Run until you get inside and don’t look back. The ship is programmed to return to the cruiser that’s in orbit. Don’t look back, you understand me?” He pulled her up and held her arms, staring directly into her eyes.

She nodded, leaning in and kissing him desperately. “Don’t you dare die.”

“You won’t get rid of me that easily. Go. _Now!_ ”

Padmé ran, screaming for Saché and Dormé when she heard the sounds of blaster fire and felt the heat of yet another explosion. And despite her husband’s orders, she turned back just in time to see the inferno apparently consume her husband. “ _Vader, no!_ ” she screamed as the handmaidens held her back, pulling her toward the ship. _“No!_ ”


	9. The Call and the Meeting

“Master Vader, you need to do your recovery exercises,” Threepio said. From her seat in the corner of the room, Padmé briefly looked up from her sewing, biting her lip. It had been a month since the Partisan strike on Chommell Minor, and while Vader hadn’t suffered any lasting damage, his right arm had been badly burned, to the point where the medical droids and doctors were requiring him to do dexterity exercises, along with cuts, bruises and a concussion that had delayed him resuming court sessions. He had been lucky. Rex, Echo, and Fives had all received such extensive injuries that they’d been taken back to Kamino for recovery, mostly because they’d been shielding him.

And the Rebels had taken Shmi.

“Blast it, Threepio, I have better things to do,” Vader said, his temper on edge, like it had been since he woke up, two days after the attacks on Chommell Minor.

“If she were here, she’d make you do them,” Padmé said quietly.

“She is **not** here and I **need** to find her. I don’t need to make recovery exercises, I’ve been doing them just fine and I’m almost fully healed,” Vader argued and then winced as he tried to do something more strenuous with his right arm. “I’m not invalid and I don’t know what we are waiting for,” he spat, furious. “Threepio, do something useful and get me Cody!”

“Oh, dear,” the droid sighed as he waddled out. Padmé sighed and stood, approaching her husband’s desk and taking his right hand carefully.

“Just the fingers,” she begged. “Please.”

“No,” he said stubbornly, letting his head fall on his left hand. The attack had left him wounded and vulnerable. After he’d had woken up, the pain had been unbearable in his right side. He could barely move his arm and for a moment, he’d thought it would have to be replaced by a bionic arm. Fortunately, the medical team had been able to act fast and begun healing the burns and he had been too weak in the Force to even help!

After finding out his closest troopers nearly died to protect him and had to be moved to Kamino for rehabilitation, he had never felt more of a failure. It was only when he was informed that from the entourage he had, only Shmi was missing, abducted by the Partisans, that everything else had crashed into him and dragged him further down the misery path. Shmi was the only person he could truly consider his family and he missed her terribly.

Everything was a mess and he lacked the strength to do anything to fix it.

It was killing him.

“You need your strength, if something heals wrong, you could lose the hand,” Padmé insisted.

“I’ve been gathering energy from the Force to heal it slowly. It’s not something Sith are very good at, the Jedi were the ones that knew how to use the Force for healing. But I met this healer once, Vokara Che, and she told me a thing or two after I spared her life,” he muttered, looking at his bandaged right arm in annoyance.

“I’m just trying to help,” she muttered sullenly. “I was useless.”

“Padmé, don’t,” he groaned. “Not that talk again. You did what I told you to and you were not responsible for what happened. So just...don’t, okay?”

She sighed, her frustration and exhaustion clear. “Fine. I’ll leave so you can get ready for that meeting you have with the Moffs.” Before he could say anything else, she turned on her heel so fast that the gold embroidered black cloak of her dress swept over his desk.

After she left, Vader began moving his fingers, one by one, making sure everything was healing fine. Why did he decided to do the exercises without her or Threepio? He didn’t like being weak, being vulnerable. Vader hated the simple idea of being fragile and exposed. The movements were interrupted by Threepio.

“Acting Captain Cody and Grand Moff Tarkin, Master Vader,” Threepio announced.

_Tarkin? What does this weasel want?_

“Your majesty,” Cody and Tarkin saluted him as they’ve entered. Threepio left and Vader stood from his chair, hiding the wince that came with the effort.

“Cody, thanks for coming,” the trooper removed his helmet and nodded in respect at his Emperor. “Tarkin, I didn’t realize I’ve requested your presence as well,” Vader turned to the elderly man with a cold look.

“I merely wanted to know before the council of the Moffs, your majesty, why so many resources are being expended on a mere servant woman. A former slave, if the reports you provided are accurate. It seems like far too much effort for someone so worthless.”

Tarkin didn’t see it coming. No one did, considering the state of his right arm. However, the Grand Moff began feeling the lack of air immediately after the word worthless. Cody, next to him, went rigid.

“ _Worthless?”_ He spat, his right arm extended, hand slowly closing in a choke. “Do you want me to tell you who is worthless here, you weasel? _You_ are.” Vader was not in pain, not when the Dark Side pulsed so deliciously through his entire being. “I have been looking for a reason to strangle that little neck since I first met you, you ignorant bastard and I’m glad you made the mistake of calling Shmi, my caretaker, a mere servant. She means more to this Empire than you do,” he twisted his hand and Tarkin fell, dead, on the ground. “Cody, do I need to say anything else?”

The trooper was shaking and swallowed the dry lump in his throat. “N-no, sir. All the efforts on finding Shmi Skywalker are being made. I will dispatch another group of troops to the Chommell Sector. Today.”

“Very well, you’re dismissed,” he said, coldly. “Take Tarkin with you. Dump him in the garbage, do whatever you want with him, just remove him.”

Cody leaned down to grab Tarkin’s dead body and place it over one shoulder. As he left, Vader heard Threepio squeak in alarm in the hallway, but closed the door with the Force before he was interrupted.

As the adrenaline ran out of his body, he let out a howl of pain, sitting back down on the chair behind his desk. Tears pricked his eyes as the pain in his right arm exploded. It made him furious. He slammed his left fist on the desk, his breathing raged, before rummaging through the bottle of pills until he found the strongest painkiller.

“Master Vader?” Threepio asked nervously from the door. “Shall I cancel your meeting?”

He turned to look at the doorway. Threepio had also suffered a casualty during the attacks, and was now sporting a red arm that completely changed his whole figure. “Yes, Threepio, please,” he whispered, eyes brimming with tears. “Sorry,” he said quietly. “I wasn’t able to fix you yet.”

“It’s quite alright, Master Vader, you are not yet fully recovered. Do you want me to fetch Miss Padmé?”

Vader thought for a moment. He felt, and looked, miserable. Not the greatest look on him. “No,” he shook his head. “Let her be, Threepio. I think I’m going to lay down and rest for the day.”

“Very good, sir.”

* * *

“No.”

“ _Please._ ”

“He’s technically a Rebel! Emperor Palpatine recognized Fenn Rau and Deathwatch as the legitimate government of Mandalore! It’d be treason!”

“Which is why he may be exactly what we need to find Shmi!”

“Padmé…”

“He was protecting me when they took her!”

“You don’t know that for certain!”

“You can’t blame yourself—”

“We don’t know—”

“It doesn’t matter!” Padmé shouted over all of them. “He misses her. We need to get her back, and if finding Obi-Wan Kenobi helps get her back, then you need to do it for me!”

They all exchanged glances, and then Sabé produced a commlink from inside her sleeve. “I don’t know if it’ll work. It’s over a year old. But it’s all I have.”

Eirtaé narrowed her eyes. “You just keep that on you?”

“As opposed to my room, where someone else might find it and get the wrong idea?” Sabé countered. “Go on, try it.”

Padmé hesitated but pressed the initiation button. “This is Padmé Amidala, calling Obi-Wan Kenobi. General Kenobi, can you hear me? General Kenobi?”

“That is a name I haven’t heard in a while,” a masculine voice was heard from the comm, it had an accent to it, it was firm but polite. Warm.

“My name, or your own, General?” Padmé asked, tilting her head curiously

“Yours, my dear,” he chuckled. “Nowadays, it’s Empress Vader. If I may, your majesty, what does the Empress want from a former Rebel and member of a Resistance group? Isn’t this considered treason by your husband?”

“My husband hasn’t paid Mandalore much mind,” Padmé replied. “He’s more preoccupied at present with the Partisans who attacked Chommell Minor a month ago.”

“I’ve heard about that. It was an unfortunate attack, a lot of innocent lives were lost. I don’t mean to rush you, my lady, but what is the reason of your contact? It has been a decade, hasn’t it?”

“Longer.” Padmé sighed at the brief reference to her past. “It’s one of those innocent lives. A servant woman, Shmi Skywalker, was taken during the crossfire. I don’t understand why, but her loss has been deeply affecting my husband. I was hoping you might be able to help find her.”

“Shmi Skywalker…”

“Yes. An older woman, perhaps forty-five, brown hair, kind eyes?”

“I’ll help you,” he agreed suddenly. Padmé blinked in surprise.

“You will?”

“Yes,” he said simply. “Wasn’t that why you reached out to me? To save an innocent life?”

“I suppose I was expecting a lot more convincing to be needed.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Thank you, Obi-Wan. Truly. Please contact this frequency when you find something.”

“Of course.” The connection cut out, and Padmé passed the commlink back to Sabé.

“Keep that safe, let me know when he calls. I need to bring my husband around to this.”

“Shouldn’t you wait until there are actual results?”

“He deserves to know now. It’s driving him mad not knowing, and it’s driving me mad to see him like this.”

“Can’t imagine why,” Rabé muttered under her breath.

* * *

“So, I might have committed treason.”

Vader, lying in the bed, half-distracted with some HoloMovie, turned to the doorway to meet his wife’s worried look.

“I don’t have the strength to ask,” he mumbled and his head lolled to the side again, watching the movie with a sigh.

“You don’t need to ask, I’ll tell you,” she said, walking over to sit next to him, running her fingers through his hair. “I made contact with a former Jedi who’s now part of the Mandalorian Resistance, asking him to try and find Shmi. He said—”

“Whoa, stop, stop! You talked with who? A _Jedi_? You damn right committed treason, Padmé, what were you thinking? The Mandalorian Resistance is outside of the law! Are you crazy?!” Vader winced as he sat up, looking at her with narrowed eyes.

“I was thinking that you were killing yourself with worry over Shmi, and I was trying to help find her!”

“By asking an outlaw Jedi, Padmé?” Vader groaned.

“I’m sorry, are your Moffs getting any better results?” she shot back defensively. “Threepio was babbling about you _killing_ one of them!”

“I might have Force-choked Tarkin, but he was an imbecile, he pissed me off,” Vader retorted.

“Look, if it doesn’t yield any results, I’ll accept the consequences, but Obi-Wan Kenobi saved my life when I was fourteen. He’s a good man.”

Vader didn’t look convinced. “What will a disgraced Jedi and Resistance member do that my Battalion can’t?”

“Get information from Rebel cells,” she offered, “including Partisans. And he’s willing to help, which is more than most people on his side would choose to do.”

He shook his head, he didn’t know if it was the number of painkillers he had taken or the sheer lack of strength, he just didn’t argue. “Fine. Let me know if he finds out anything relevant.”

“I will.” She nodded. “But for the record, I don’t think Deathwatch is really an ally you want. Sidious chose them.”

“Mandalore is not...is not something I have given much thought. If your friend is able to help me, maybe I’ll be able to help him in return,” Vader sighed, feeling drowsy.

She leaned forward, kissing his forehead. “You sleep. And no more killing. Alright?”

“As long as they are not an imbecile,” Vader muttered.

“Hush,” she chided, taking a blanket from the foot of the bed and covering him with it. With any luck, they’d have Shmi back soon, and he’d be in less of a foul mood.

* * *

Vader sighed for the umpteenth time aboard the ship that was going to take them to Mandalore. The concussion from the attack was still affecting him for sure, otherwise, he would have never agreed to meet with a former Jedi, former Rebel, and member of a Resistance fraction. It was an insane idea but it had been more than a month since Shmi was taken and he had nightmares thinking about what the Partisans were doing to her, what they already done.

“Have you eaten?” Padmé asked. “You look like you’re about to throw up.”

“I’m fine, not hungry,” he shifted, uncomfortable. “Are you sure we can trust this… Obi-Wan?”

“He’s taking as much of a risk as we are,” she reminded him, adjusting the blue drape over the floral patterning decorating her skin on the inner layer of her dress. “You have a Death Star, you could blow up him and everyone he cares about in a heartbeat if you wanted.”

“When you say it like that, it makes me sound like a heartless monster,” he said restlessly. “Just because I have a weapon that can blow up planets, it doesn’t mean I make a hobby of it, you know.”

“Not all the Jedi know that,” she reminded him, readjusting the crown in her hair. “Please, try to relax at last a little. None of us want to start another war.” The ship started its descent and Padmé reached over to adjust his cloak. “This is for Shmi.”

“His information had better be good,” Vader said darkly.

“Sir,” Cody approached them and saluted. “Are you sure you wish to depart alone for your meeting?” He sounded suspicious.

“Yes, Cody, I can defend myself,” the Emperor sighed.

“I have no doubt, sir, but you are still recovering from your injuries and if Rex was here he would…”

“Rex would have let me go on my own and if anything went wrong, would tell me ‘I told you so’. Cody, this is a simple meeting with old friends of my wife. I am not expecting a lightsaber duel or need for blaster power,” Vader assured the acting Captain. _At least, this is what I’m hoping for._

“Yes, of course, then we’ll land shortly,” Cody informed and left.

“If this is a trap and we end up assassinated, I’m going down in history as the stupidest Emperor and it will be your fault,” Vader quipped to his wife, leaving the cabin.

“Stop it,” she insisted, chewing her perfectly painted lip as she followed him. The location for their parley with the Mandalorian Resistance was a mountain settlement on Kalevala, where Duchess Satine had been born. Padmé slipped her hand into Vader’s as they disembarked. A small squadron of Mandalorians ringed the clearing where they had landed, but the blasters were down. A good sign.

“I’m starting to feel that I should have some troopers with me,” Vader sighed, looking a bit over his shoulder to the ship. “It’s never good to meet Rebels unprepared.” He frowned as he looked onwards and felt a strong presence in the Force. The Jedi, he was sure. Whoever he was, Vader was sure he had been a prized warrior for the fallen Order.

“We came in good faith,” she reminded him. Obi-Wan was the first to move. There were streaks of grey in his reddish-brown beard and hair, but she still recognized him. “Master Kenobi.”

“Emperor and Empress Vader,” he replied formally, nodding rather than bowing.

“My wife has a deep trust in you… Kenobi,” there was no way in Sith hell he was going to call another man _Master_ ever again. “I just hope she’s not mistaken. As you see, I came alone. Although the reception might make me think otherwise. Afraid I would attack?”

“My wife may be a pacifist, but she takes my safety very seriously,” Obi-Wan answered calmly.

“The famous Duchess of Mandalore,” Vader mused. “I have heard about her and her political views. Will we have the pleasure of meeting her as well?”

“That depends on the young Duke, your Majesty. But perhaps you’d prefer to get what you came here for?”

His son, Vader believed. “You have information on my aide, Shmi.”

Kenobi nodded, tilting his head as he was clearly sizing Vader up. “My master, Qui-Gon Jinn, knew her some time ago. He spoke of her, often while mentioning the prophesied Chosen One. I might have thought her a similar myth if I had not briefly met her myself.”

“Were you able to find her?” Padmé prompted, trying to change the subject.

“What does Shmi have to do with the Jedi myth?” Vader questioned, curious. Shmi never mentioned to him that she had ever crossed paths with Jedi before. All he knew about her past was that she had been taken by the Empire after a raid in a Rebel cell. She had never enjoyed speaking about her past and Vader had never pushed.

“Qui-Gon never said. But in answer to your question, Empress, I did manage to get in contact with a few Partisans. They are currently in the catacombs of Cadera, on Jedha, outside the Holy City.”

“Is she alive?” Vader pressured.

“If her body has not yet been found, then yes, I suspect she is. The Partisans have no Jedi in their ranks, they would not have the skills to hide her. Have you not sought her presence in the Force? Or can the Sith not do such things?” It almost seemed like a taunt.

Vader’s nostrils flared. Of _course_ he had tried to sense Shmi, but he had been too weak to get any results. The little strength he found he tried to use it for healing, to stop himself from losing an arm due to the severity of the burns. “I felt it. Faint. But as you might have heard, I’ve suffered injuries myself and I’m still recovering. The Force is clouded where fallen Jedi stand, they only mess things up. As always.”

“Enough!” Padmé insisted, grabbing his uninjured hand. “We know where she is now, we can find her.”

“Exactly. We will carry on a rescue mission,” Vader stood up straighter. “I thank you for your help. After I rescue Shmi successfully, I might be willing to meet with the Duchess and oversee the current situation of Mandalore. The support of the Emperor would benefit her, don’t you agree?”

“If you go in alone, they will kill you. No matter how powerful you are, they will overwhelm you. You’d be in the heart of their stronghold, and Gerrera might not have Jedi, but he has other resources. Dangerous ones.”

“I have been on missions where the landscape was the enemy’s territory and I’ve won, what makes you think I’ll lose this time?” Vader challenged. “You’ve kept your word to a friend, my wife, and we are both grateful, but I’ll take it from here.”

“At what cost?” Obi-Wan insisted, indicating his arm.

“What?” Vader narrowed his eyes.

“Your overconfidence will get you killed if you’re not careful. You would have a better chance of both escaping intact with another Force-sensitive fighting alongside you.”

Vader glanced from his injured arm to Obi-Wan. “Are you offering to rescue her with me or am I getting mixed signals?”

“You are not getting mixed signals. I will help you.”

“Why?” Vader questioned, surprised at the former Jedi’s willingness to help.

“For the sake of an innocent woman,” Obi-Wan answered. “And with the hope that it let my wife have the peace she wants so badly for her people. For our son.”

“I’m going too,” Padmé added, her voice quiet but firm.

“What?” Both Obi-Wan and Vader questioned in unison.

“No, Padmé, absolutely not.” Vader refused. “It’s out of the question.”

“I’m not asking your permission,” she said, practically snapping at him. “I care about her too, and I want to help. I can distract Gerrera, I’m probably the one person he hates in the galaxy more than you.”

“Exactly why you shouldn’t be the bait. What if he kills you without even thinking about it?” Vader argued. “This is not a political meeting. Nor is it the place to endanger your life on purpose. You are staying in the cruiser, protected!”

“I am tired of being protected and useless!” Padmé insisted furiously.

“Can you be  _tired_ later? This is the worst moment to be  _tired,”_ Vader retorted with a scowl. “We’re already rescuing one person, we can’t risk having to rescue two!”

“I’ll keep my distance in a speeder,” she pleaded.

“This is the worst moment to defy me, Padmé and a no is a no,” Vader snapped.

“Then I’ll do it without your permission.”

“I would like to see you try!” There was a click and he looked down to see that she unhooked his lightsaber from his belt and was pressing it straight over his heart.

“I said I’m going. Or do you want to keep arguing?”

He turned to Obi-Wan with wild eyes. “You can’t tell me you find this a good idea!”

“I don’t think you have much of a choice,” Obi-Wan pointed out, clearly trying to hide his amusement. “Surely you can have a squadron close by, as a precaution?

Vader growled and snatched the lightsaber from her hand. “When you’re back to hiding in your bedroom, don’t expect me to rub your hair and say it was a good shot,” he said, clearly furious. “I swear to the Force, Padmé, if you get yourself hurt because of blatant stupidity, you’re going to be in trouble.”

“Just so long as you let me go,” she smiled sweetly.


	10. The Mission and the Revelation

“We’re ready, sir,” Cody said. “I’m getting the Empress on our channel now. Can you read us, milady?”

“ _Perfectly, Cody, thank you,_ ” Padmé replied calmly. “ _Do tell my husband to breathe._ ” The transmission ended, and next to Vader, Obi-Wan chuckled slightly while the Emperor looked completely exasperated and years older than his recent twenty-three.

“She’s quite invested in this,” he remarked.

“She’s trying to give me a heart attack,” Vader commented annoyed. “Padmé _wants_ to handle these kinds of big, important situations and then…” he trailed off and shook his head. “It’s the result of her previous marriage, but something snaps inside of her and…” he realized that he was talking with a complete stranger about personal problems and felt uncomfortable immediately. “Let’s just say that I have reasons to worry.”

“Considering how many troopers you have in her vicinity, I doubt a Partisan could sneeze on her without being shot.” Obi-Wan ignited his blue lightsaber. “Shall we proceed with our end of the plan?”

“Remind me again what it was, oh Great Negotiator,” Vader ignited his red one, teasing his companion with a light rumor he had heard about the former Jedi.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. “The scouts we sent ahead found unused tunnels. We’re going to take one of them to reach the inner sanctum, where prisoners would be kept, while your wife keeps the Partisans occupied.”

“ _I’m requesting a parlay with Saw Gerrera,_ ” Padmé’s voice came from the commlinks on their vambraces. “ _Saw Gerrera?_ ”

Vader’s intake of breath was noticeable and he was visibly shaking from nerves as he followed Obi-Wan towards one of the unused tunnels of Jedha.

“ _What is it, traitor whore?_ ” a man’s voice rasped. Gerrera had taken their bait.

“ _I’m still waiting, can you hear me?_ ” Padmé’s response was calm and breezy. “ _Hello?_ ”

“This way,” Obi-Wan indicated the left path in an upcoming fork. “I can sense her unusually clearly…”

“Me too,” Vader confessed, trying to block Gerrera’s poor taste in language towards his wife. If he lost focus, he could end up losing Shmi and putting Padmé in danger and he would rather not do either. “She’s definitely here.”

“I suppose she would be stronger than an average person, considering,” Obi-Wan mused to himself. “It could be possible.”

On the comms, Padmé was still playing dumb while Gerrera grew increasingly frustrated with her.

“ _Such a shame none of you are home, I was going to consider confessing and surrendering to you.”_

“Why? Shmi is not Force-sensitive.” Vader pointed out. “Also, I am happy she is alive and I’m about to rescue her, but I still don’t understand Gerrera’s interest in kidnapping a...a housekeeper. I mean, no one but my wife and our closest personnel is aware of how I treasure Shmi, so I don’t know why he would think it would be an advantage for him to have her,” Vader rambled on.

“Like I said, my master always mentioned her when he spoke of the Chosen One,” Obi-Wan said as they rounded a corner.

“ _Confess then, Empress Harlot.”_

 _“I confess I was a sixteen-year-old girl who willingly and knowingly gave classified Imperial intelligence to every Rebel cell that would take it,”_ Padmé answered. “ _And I confess that I traded my life for that of every being on Naboo. I confess that Sheev Palpatine tortured me and ripped every bit of Rebel intel that I had out of my mind while he shot me full of lightning.”_

Obi-Wan looked at Vader with a furrowed brow. “Don’t let it distract you.” Vader just gave him an angry look because he couldn't abide by that advice. It was too hard, it was something that he had to live with daily and had to fight every day to win.

“ _I confess that for two years, he taught me I was lower than the slave girls in Hutt palaces until I believed him. I confess that for six he would dress me as a whore, restrain me in place and rape me night after night and I could not refuse for the sake of Naboo. I confess that he had medical droids pump fertility supplements into me to improve the chances of impregnating me while he made me relive all the pain in my past.”_

“Vader!”

The Dark Side sizzled around him, angry and lashing out, and he was visibly vibrating, still unstable due to his injuries and the amount of medication he needed to fight off the pain all over his body. The speech his wife was giving was blurring his vision and making him see red. For a moment in his life, he wanted Sidious _alive_ so he could find a way to make his death even more painful, more horrendous. To _hurt_ him. Badly. At that moment, he just wanted to _hurt_ people, be them whoever they were.

“ _I confess that I went to Vader for help and that he coerced me into becoming his wife after he murdered Palpatine. I confess to letting him pleasure me, and returning the favor. I confess to being his prize and his Empress.”_

 _Coerced..._ it was what he did, after all. Like a true Sith, he ignored her free will and did what he wanted. What he selfishly needed for himself.

“Who’s there?” That was Shmi’s voice. “I already told you, he’s lost.”

“Stand back from the wall.” Obi-Wan drove his lightsaber into the stone, slowly carving through it. “Help me,” he urged Vader.

Vader gave Obi-Wan a look, before driving his lightsaber into the stone, in the opposite path so they could meet in the middle and effectively cut the stone. He was still upset, more than he wanted to let it show, and his face was closed in a blank emotion, going back to a time where his expression betrayed no emotion, going back to a time where Sidious was his Master and he had to be a good little pet.

Obi-Wan pulled the stone circle back, revealing Shmi sitting in a cell with her arm heavily bandaged, and her eyes wide. “Obi-Wan Kenobi? You’re alive?”

“There’s time for explanations later, come,” Obi-Wan offered his hand. “This _is_ a rescue mission, after all.”

“Shmi?” Vader came up behind Obi-Wan. Her face broke into a smile and she hugged him, despite her injuries and the glowing lightsaber. Vader place his free arm around her back and squeezed her into a hug “I’ve got you.”

“Hey!” An unfamiliar voice shouted, and Obi-Wan raised his saber to block an incoming blaster bolt. “She’s a trap! Saw! The whore was a distraction!” The Partisan yelled as he fired again.

“Go. Through the hole,” Vader urged as he tugged her through the hole in the stone. “Hide, let us take care of Saw’s men.”

“But—” Shmi hesitated, conflict in her eyes. “They were not hurting me.”

“They’ve taken you hostage and you’re visibly hurt, I’m not going to let Saw get away with that,” Vader said, irritated. “You and Padmé are cut from the same cloth, you know that?” He huffed in exasperation.

At that moment, blaster fire sounded on the commlink, along with a shout from Padmé. “Go save your wife,” Obi-Wan urged him. “I’ll get Shmi back to the cruiser.”

Vader pursed his lips. “You better, Kenobi.” He hesitated before kissing Shmi’s forehead and then leaving in a rush, regret coursing through him because he should have never agreed to this madness. There could be a thousand different ways to distract Gerrera and Padmé did not have to be in the middle of it.

* * *

Padmé dodged yet another volley of fire, the dust of Jedha staining her white skirt and jacket. She had not thought this through all the way.

And yet she felt alive. She felt like the fourteen-year-old Queen who had liberated Naboo again. And it was exhilarating to be her, to the point where she smiled as she fired back with the chrome blaster in her hand.

Slowly, the fire began to decrease and the dust settled. Padmé signaled the troopers protecting her to follow as she approached the cave entrance, her blaster still up. Saw Gerrera, looking very much like the criminal bulletins of him on the HoloNet stood alone, all those who supported him, lying dead at his feet. And then a crimson lightsaber ran straight through his armored chest, and then retracted, letting him fall to his knees to reveal a blood-covered, savage-looking Vader.

For a moment, husband and wife stood silently regarding one another amid the tableau of death and destruction. “I had it under control,” she said finally.

“Is that why everything is on fire?” He gestured around him with a raised eyebrow. Padmé groaned, rolling her eyes.

“Where is Shmi?”

“Kenobi has her and he’s getting her to the ship. Or at least that is what I’m hoping he’s doing because otherwise, I’ll just aid Death Watch in their destruction of the Mandalore Resistance,” he quipped darkly as he turned on his heel and headed to the ship.

“That isn’t funny!” Padmé scolded as she ran to keep pace with him.

“Good. I am not trying to be funny,” Vader said darkly.

“We came here in an imperial cruiser, he can’t exactly steal it!” Padmé argued. “And I don’t know why you’re not happier. We did what we came here to do!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, am I missing a party hat?” He scowled.

“Don’t mock me.”

“Just get in the ship before you actually succeed in getting one of us killed today,” he waved towards the ramp as Cody and his troops patiently waited for the Imperial couple to board.

Padmé scowled, returning her blaster to her hip before slowly removing her gloves as she entered the ship. Obi-Wan and Shmi were in the main cabin, sitting as he used a medpac to work on her arm.

“Welcome back,” the Empress said with a little smile as she sat opposite them.

“I’m grateful that you did this for me.”

Vader was the last one in the cabin and soon the ship was taking them back to the Imperial Cruiser orbiting Jedha. He placed his lightsaber on the table nearby and sat by Shmi’s side, taking her hand. “How are you? Truly?”

“I have been much worse over the years. I should be good as new in a week or so.” Shmi’s eyes went to Vader’s arm. “What about _you?_ Truly?”

Obi-Wan’s eyebrows went up and his mouth parted slightly as he sat back in his seat, watching them silently.

Vader didn’t notice the Jedi’s sudden reaction as he gave Shmi a small smile, looking down at their joined hands. “I’ll heal, it’s just a small gift from the attacks at the Chommel Minor banquet. It could have been worse,” he said, speaking in a low voice.

“Yes, and you could still lose the arm at this point,” Padmé muttered, Vader gave his wife an annoyed glance and felt Shmi’s hand squeeze his in fear. “I don’t understand, though. Why keep you this long and not do more to hurt you? Gerrera wasn’t exactly known for safe interrogations. What did they want with you?”

Shmi sighed and she did not speak for a few minutes, her face a mixture of emotions. “They wanted to know the location of my son. The Chosen One of the Jedi,” she revealed quietly. Vader immediately pulled back, mouth opening in shock as he stared at Shmi like she had turned into a Zillo Beast.

“So Qui-Gon was right,” Obi-Wan murmured. “And all this time…”

“You have a _son_ ?” Vader interrupted Obi-Wan, sounding surprised and maybe a little hurt by the revelation. “When? How? I mean, not _how_ it’s just...I’ve known you all my life and I never met any of your family. I didn’t think you had any!”

“He’s my only family,” Shmi corrected. “I had no husband, the child no father. He simply… was mine. My little Anakin.”

“The Jedi prophecies spoke of such a child. They say he would bring balance to the Force,” Obi-Wan interjected. “I remember the attempt to save you and the boy from the Imperial Palace. I had to flee before I could learn what became of you two.”

“We had to return to the Palace. But I always cared for him as best I could, even as fate kept me from truly being his mother.”

It all clicked into place for Padmé, and she sniffed, holding back tears. It wasn’t possible, and yet it had to be. It made all too much sense, she felt like a fool for not seeing it sooner.

“Was it Sidious?” Vader questioned, not having the same clarity moment his wife had. He stood, disturbed.  “Because if it was him, you could have told me the truth after he died and I would have let you be with your son. Found him for you if necessary. You could have come to me for help.”

“That wasn’t necessary. I always knew where he was. I hid him in the last place the Emperor would ever think to look for him. Right under his nose.”

Vader had a headache already and there was a drumming sound in his ears as he clearly wasn’t following the story as well as Obi-Wan, who stood quietly in the corner stroking his beard like he had just discovered something huge, Padmé had tears brimming in her eyes and Shmi was staring intensely at him. “Where did you hide him? If the Rebels are out for him… I can help you protect him if you want.” Although, he felt an uneasy feeling at sharing Shmi’s dedication or affection since she had been the only source of it for twenty-three years.

“Perhaps you should tell him the full story,” Obi-Wan prompted. “Spare no detail.”

“Why do I get the feeling you already know more than me?” Vader turned to him, upset.

Shmi hesitated briefly, then nodded. “It’s not a pleasant one. But it’s time.”

“ _What_ am I missing?” The Emperor asked, clearly disturbed that he was being left out of something and honestly, his patience was running out.

“It’s you,” Padmé blurted. “Her son, Anakin. You’re him.”

All color was drained from his face as his gaze went from Padmé to Shmi and the housekeeper’s look confirmed the Empress’ words. He, Darth Vader, was the son Shmi had hidden.

It wasn’t possible, he was the bastard son of the Emperor. Sidious _enjoyed_ telling him time and time again that his mother had been nothing but a whore and he had been happy when he, Vader, had killed her in childbirth.

Then he remembers Shmi. He remembers she was there for him all his life. All of his moments, taking care of him, bandaging his wounds and sniffing quietly as he returned from his training sessions with more than cuts and bruises. His eyes stung with tears because he always questioned what made her be so _nice_ and _sweet_ to him when no one was. Why she was the only one that cared if he was hurt? Why she _ever_ cared he existed?

“Not a day went by that I didn’t want to tell you the truth.”

“But you didn’t,” Vader replied, stiffly.

“If I had while Sidious lived, he would have killed you.”

Vader laughed emptily. “That might have been true when I was a defenseless child, but during the time where I’ve plotted his death, even after his death, you had the opportunity to tell me the truth but you didn't! You kept lying to me!”

“Considering your reaction at this moment, I don’t blame her!” Padmé spoke up.

“Stay out of this,” Vader snapped angrily.

“I thought we’d established that I don’t do that anymore.”

Vader growled. “This is between me and, apparently, _my mother_. I don’t need your opinion on this subject.”

“That reaction is not necessary, Vader. Not with anyone in this room,” Obi-Wan interjected, calmly. “I understand. I have a son. And I know I would do anything to protect him and his mother, even if it meant lying to them. Force willing, you might experience it for yourself someday.”

 _Now_ Padmé shrank into herself and looked away. Yet another prophecy. But now hers made more sense. If everything Shmi and the Jedi believed was true, Vader’s bloodline _was_ the Force. What could make a stronger dynasty than that?

“I don’t expect to experience that, _ever_ .” Vader scowled, glancing out of the corner of his eye to his suddenly quiet Empress. Obi-Wan gave the couple an odd look but refrained from doing any comments. “I can see that you all think I’m in the wrong here, clearly. I just thought for twenty-three years that I had _no_ mother and my father was a despicable monster whom I’ve murdered. But _no,_ my mother has _always_ been there and I am _not_ the son of the former Emperor. Of course, in all of your minds, I should just suck it up and be okay with it already!” He snapped, temper flying out of control.

“You have every reason to be angry with me,” Shmi answered, calm and unflinching in the face of his rage. “And if you want me gone, I’ll go. I just ask that you hear me out first. Please. My son.”

Vader just crossed his arms over his chest and looked away, eyes moist and vision blurred as he nodded his consent to hear her story.


	11. The Slave and the Son

“Where were you from? Before?”

“Tatooine.”

“Kiros.”

“I’m sorry…” Shmi stared at the walls of the cell. “Do you know where they’re taking us?”

“No idea,” the Togruta woman in the other bed sighed. “You don’t think it’s possible the Jedi will come to save us?”

“There were Jedi in the base they took me from. A master and his Padawan.”

“Did the troopers kill them? Is that how they’ve managed to take you?”

“I don’t know,” Shmi admitted, fingering the dark strands of her hair nervously.

“What if they take us to the Palace and we become slaves to the Empire?” The woman shook as she made the question.

“Then we will have to hope for a miracle of some kind,” Shmi answered. “The Jedi Master told me of a prophecy that says one day there will be a Jedi born of the Force who will restore balance.”

“It’s a story,” the other woman insisted, shaking her head. “I joined the Rebellion so I would never have to be a slave again. Now I’m going to be right back where I started.”

“It’s not a story. If the Jedi believe it, we must believe it too. Hope is a very powerful thing. It will save us,” Shmi insisted.

The Togruta shook her head as the ship’s engines grew quiet. “We’re going to die,” she whispered. “They’ll never allow us to leave.”

Shmi quieted down. It was a Galaxy that lacked hope and the situation was not looking better. The Rebels were losing, decimated by the Imperial troops.The Jedi Order had fallen and Emperor Palpatine was the supreme ruler. She had heard terrible stories about the Emperor and a shiver went down her spine as she thought about being under his roof. The Galaxy’s only hope rested on an old Jedi prophecy, a myth, that no one knew when it would become true.

The clone troopers unlocked the cell door. “Get up,” he ordered. The Togruta stayed still, her montrals quivering. “Come on, get up,” the trooper ordered.

“N-no.”

“Fine.” The clone fired off a blaster shot straight into the woman’s heart. She collapsed at Shmi’s feet. “Are you going to argue?” the trooper asked Shmi pointedly.

Shmi was livid as she shook her head slowly and with shaky legs, stood up, her eyes fixed on the dead Togruta. They were ruthless and if she wasn’t careful, she was next.

* * *

“You.” The low croak was unmistakable, freezing Shmi in the middle of her polishing the marble columns of the hall. “Turn around,” the Emperor commanded. “Let me see you.”

Shmi was shaking as she slowly turned around to face the Emperor, whose age was unknown to many but she could see that he was old and the way he was leering at her, made her blood run cold. She pushed a strand of dark brown hair out of her face. “Y-yes, your majesty?”

“Amedda, why was this fetching little thing not placed in my harem?” Palpatine asked as he took another step toward Shmi. She tried very hard to stay still and not take a step backward. She was hating the way he was looking at her, it made her feel… dirty.

“Lacked the pedigree, your majesty,” the Chagrian answered calmly. “A former slave of Tatooine, and a Rebel. We deemed her unworthy of the honor.” _Thank the Force,_ Shmi thought to herself.

“Ah. Such a pity.” Beneath the hood of his red robes, Palpatine cocked his head, looking her over yet again with his sickly, evil-looking yellow eyes. “Yet there is something about her. Tell me, girl, is this where you serve every day?”

Shmi only nodded her head. “Yes, your majesty. Except when I’m in the kitchens, dealing with the dishes. Only at night, though.” Why was she being so detailed? It was panic talking, of course. She didn’t want to say something that offended the Emperor and she didn’t want to offend him by not saying the whole truth.

“I see.” Palpatine clucked his tongue. “Not anymore, I think. Promote her to my personal staff, Amedda.”

Shmi swallowed her horrified gasp, her mouth opened in shock as her eyes widened looking at the Emperor. Something told her that she should have stood up to the troopers like the Togruta girl and death would have been a welcomed blessing.

“Your majesty, are you certain?” the grand vizier asked. “A common traitor?”

“She seems to have learned her place rather well, she could serve as an example to those who are… more resistant.” Palpatine smiled at her in a very predatory way. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, my dear?” There was almost the feeling of something hitting Shmi’s mind, something that made her head start to feel heavy and sore. Master Qui-Gon had once said that was what mind-tricks felt like.

If she didn’t obey, he could find her  _resistant_ and dispose of her. Something almost told Shmi to defy him and die, rather than become the object of his attention, but another softer pull told her it would be alright, she would be compensated for her sacrifice. “I would, your majesty,” she mumbled.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll have the housekeeper make the arrangements immediately… what did you say your name was, my dear?”

“Shmi, your majesty, Shmi Skywalker.”

“Skywalker. There is something familiar about that,” Palpatine muttered. “Come, Amedda. There’s still much to be done. You finish this, Shmi, and then report to my personal wing. You have nothing of value in the slaves’ quarters, I’m sure.”

“N-no, your majesty, I have nothing,” Shmi said with a little nod of her head.

“Of course not.” He gave her one last evil sneer before turning and leaving. Once he was out of sight, Shmi released a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding, leaning against the marble pillar she had just been cleaning and feeling very ill all of a sudden.

* * *

She was given the dubious honor of serving the Emperor lunch in his office every day. It became something of a grotesque routine; she would bring the food, accept whatever advance he wanted to make, then disparage her low status as a means of getting out of him actually bedding her.

So it was incredibly uncomfortable on the day when she arrived and they were not alone. A man stood before the desk, his skin decorated in swirling, spiky red and black patterns, his eyes the same savage yellow as the Emperor’s. “Dear Shmi, attendant as always,” Palpatine chuckled. “You have not yet met Lord Maul, have you?”

 _The Emperor’s... right hand. Apprentice. Darth Maul._ Shmi thought to herself. “No, your majesty, I have not,” she said, but she had heard of him. From Qui-Gon. “My lord,” she turned to Maul with a small bow.

“She has the scent of Jedi,” Maul rasped, narrowing his eyes. Shmi stood straighter and bowed her head.

“There were Jedi insurgents in the Rebel cell where she was found, it’s nothing more,” Palpatine scoffed. “So eager to battle more, are you?”

“They are scum, my Master.”

“Indeed. Do you not agree, my dear?” Palpatine asked as Shmi set down the tray with his meal on the desk. “Have I not provided far more comfortable arrangements for you?”

Shmi briefly closed her eyes and licked her lips before nodding. “Yes, you have, your majesty.” She did not, however, say she agreed with him and the arrangements _were_ more comfortable.

“If only the rest of the galaxy would accept my generosity as you do,” Sidious sighed, leaning back in his chair. “That will be all for today, Shmi, you may leave us.”

Shmi glanced one last time at Maul and then nodded, leaving the room after a short bow to _Master_ and _Apprentice._

* * *

“It’s _him_ , isn’t it?” Shmi looked up from mending a torn blanket to see one of the other maids, the older ones looking at her with curiosity and pity.

“What are you talking about?”

“Shmi, you’ve been sick every morning this week, your head’s hurting and you didn’t ask for the _kit_ , even though you usually do by this point in the month,” the woman whispered. “It’s alright, none of us will judge you for it, just tell us. Was it _him_?”

Shmi’s hand stilled as her eyes widened in realization. But it...it couldn’t be, she hasn’t slept with a man. Ever. She let the torn blanket fall and fled the room, not giving the women any kind of explanation. What could she even say at this point? They have all noticed the constant advances of the Emperor and in their minds, Shmi was already his whore even if she had managed to stay out of his bed until this point. Leaning against the wall of an empty hallway, she tried to regain control of her breathing.

The older maid was right. She had not bled that month. Her symptoms all pointed out to one simple explanation. Shmi was pregnant. A trembling hand came down to her still flat stomach. Carrying a baby of no one, how could it be?

 _“There will be a Jedi one day, born of the Force and destined to destroy the Sith and restore balance to the Force,”_ she heard Qui-Gon’s voice in her head.

Could it be? Could she be the one destined to bring to this Galaxy the Jedi, the Chosen One, who would bring balance to the Force and destroy the Emperor? If she was and if this baby was meant to save the Galaxy, the Emperor would not waste any time in killing an innocent child. _My child!_

Shmi wiped her tears with the back of her hand and smoothed down her apron. She would not let that happen, she would not let Palpatine touch a hair on her baby’s head. She might not understand everything right now, but she trusted Qui-Gon’s beliefs. The Force would tell her. But at this moment, Shmi knew one thing very clear. She had to find a way to protect her child until he, or she, was able to protect himself.

Nausea that had nothing to do with her pregnancy started to set in as she came to a realization. Palpatine might have been a monster, but he was a monster with no heir, despite a palace wing filled with noblewomen and slaves to serve as his concubines. The safest thing she could do would be to let him think the child was his. But that would mean… a shudder went through her and she wondered for a moment if she would be able to go through that humiliation.

_A hand came to rest on her stomach and she looked down. _Yes._ A voice whispered in her ear. Because, for her child, she would give up everything. Her dignity, her health, her soul... not only would she have her baby to love but this little one was going to be the Galaxy’s savior. _

* * *

One time. That was all it was. She suffered through it, thanked him through her teeth for honoring her in such a way, and then tried to back to the normal cycle of chores.

And the Emperor seemed to grow bored of her, as if the pursuit had been all that had really interested him. It was a relief of sorts when Shmi was removed from her seemingly privileged post of serving him lunch, although she pitied the girl chosen to replace her.

At night, she would dream of the baby, and though she could never quite make out its features, somehow, she knew it was free of any taint from Palpatine, that it was not his child. It gave her strength and a new measure of courage, enough to finally seek out the medical droid a month after her encounter with Palpatine. The emdee confirmed that the baby was healthy and strong and that she should have nothing to worry about.

Shmi knew otherwise the moment that the Chief of Staff summoned her later that day to the Emperor’s throne room. “Some news you wished to tell us, Shmi?” Palpatine asked, his voice as cold, sharp and deadly as ice as he sat on the daïs above her.

“I am expecting, your majesty,” she confessed, her small voice unusually strong. “The emdee has confirmed my pregnancy and that the baby is strong and healthy.”

“And the father?” Palpatine hissed, his nails digging into the arms of his throne. “Do not lie. I will know if you do.”

Shmi gathered all her strength and raised her chin. “You, your majesty, you have been the only man I have ever lain with. This is your child. I believe if you try, you will feel his strength and know it is yours.”

“Come closer,” he ordered, beckoning her to him. Heart pounding, Shmi obeyed, coming to the bottom of the steps as the Emperor reached out his hand. Despite its small size, the baby seemed to squirm inside her, protesting against the invasion. “Strong indeed,” Palpatine croaked, pulling back from her. “A shame the mother must be a miserable slave and whore.” He looked almost troubled. “Were you really so foolish as to think this would earn you anything? That you would be made Empress and your bastard legitimized as my heir?”

“No, your majesty, but the baby is yours and at least he would be taken care of? I don’t care about me, my lord, it’s the baby I worry about,” Shmi worried, concerned, a hand over her stomach.

Palpatine’s scowl returned. “I will allow it. But once the child is born, you are forbidden to tell it what you are to it. Do you understand?”

Shmi gasped and this time, she couldn’t be quiet. “But, your majesty, he will need a mother. I don’t want to be Empress, but I want to be his mother. Please.”

“Tend to it. Be its nursemaid and housekeeper, but if you tell it you bore it, I _will_ kill the brat, no matter how strong an Apprentice it might be.”

Tears brimming in her eyes, Shmi rested both of her hands on her stomach. “But…” she trailed off. “Apprentice?” Shmi whispered as the tears spilled from her eyes.

“Maul will fail me one day, that much is clear. I must have a replacement. This one… ” he reached out to her stomach again, the Force pushing her hands out of the way. “Born in the Dark, raised in its ways, yes, I should like to see that.”

 _No... no, he’s the Chosen One, he should be raised in the Light side of the Force!_ “It will be years before you are able to train him, my lord, and he’ll be just a little boy.” In her mind, it was a son. A beautiful baby, that in her dreams, had big blue eyes, light hair and a sweet smile that would melt your heart. “Please,” she tried one last time, whispering. “Let me be his mother. He’ll need me.”

“You overestimate your worth,” Palpatine scoffed. “Test me further, and I will have it cut out of you.”

Shmi swallowed a gasp and nodded, biting her lip and knowing it was futile to go against him. She had angered him, giving him an heir he didn’t want. Better, giving his _heir_ a mother he didn’t find worthy. But, as long as her son was safe and taken care of, Shmi didn’t care for the Emperor’s anger.

“Y-yes, my lord,” she sniffed.

“Now get out of my sight.”

* * *

They had been long eight months. Shmi was given the bare minimum to survive and take care of herself because of the child and soon, the word spread through the Palace. She was carrying the Emperor’s bastard. The men looked at her in disgust and the women with pity. Shmi didn’t care, she prayed every day for her son to be healthy and have the strength he needed to be the beacon of hope the Galaxy needed. She worked throughout the entire pregnancy, even with swollen ankles and an aching back, she scrubbed the floors, the marble steps and spent hours cleaning the dirty dishes in the kitchens.The Emperor’s contact with her was non-existent, and she was grateful. Even in the most desperate circumstances, she would enjoy the little things. How he moved inside of her. She would speak with him and receive a kick in return. She would sing to her stomach, whisper how much she already loved him.

During the whole time, she secretly looked for a way to contact the Jedi. To warn them that she carried the Chosen One and that he, above all else, needed to be saved from the Emperor. How could he become what he was destined to be if he was raised in darkness? If the Dark Side was all he knew and learned? What would become of the innocent little life she carried?

The questions plagued her at night and made her restless. So far she had been unable to contact them.

_It’ll be okay, Mom. I’m coming. And I know you love me._

The contractions began during the night, she was all alone and there was a sharp pain in her lower stomach. She sat up, wincing at the pain, trying to breathe as the older women of the House kept telling her. They had been the ones to share stories of deliveries they had made or lived through themselves and Shmi knew she couldn’t do this alone. Struggling, she stood up and supported herself on the wall, as the waves of pain kept coming in short breaks.

Shmi managed to get to the halls and as her water broke, the pain intensified. She gasped in pain, followed by a scream, which drew attention from the troopers standing guard. Unable to walk anymore, the moments that followed were a blur. Shmi heard the troopers call for the help of the medical center, as an older maid came rushing to her side and she was transported to the delivery rooms.

The pain was worse than she could have imagined and her baby was stubborn. Very stubborn. All she heard was her own screams echoing through the walls, she would grasp the bed until her knuckles went white and screamed while she followed the emdee’s instructions to _push._

_Come on, my love, please, I don’t know if I can hold on any longer._

“One more time,” the cold, emotionless droid spoke.

“I can’t…” Shmi shook her head from side to side, struggling to breathe.

“One more time,” it repeated, not caring for her misery or visible struggles.

“If the child is not born naturally, they will remove him and you might bleed to death. Do it one last time,” the older maid advised, the only warm voice in the haze of emotionless droids and Shmi nodded, crying, as she, for the last time, pushed.

Anakin came into the world sticky and screaming and absolutely perfect. Shmi laughed through the haze of the pain and opened her arms to receive him. “Give him to me, please, give him to me, I need to see him,” she whispered, as exhaustion was starting to take over her body.

Someone obliged, passing his little form into her arms. His screams stopped turning into coos as she held him. “Hi, Ani.” He seemed to recognize her voice as he stared at her face with big, blue eyes.

The emdee said something about the Emperor, which only made Shmi hug her son tighter to her chest. “Don’t worry, my sweet boy, I’ll always be here to protect you,” she whispered, kissing his forehead.

* * *

The Emperor didn’t come until the morning. Shmi awoke to the sound of Anakin screaming as his supposed father held him. “Such exquisite pain already, Vader,” Palpatine gloated. “I shall enjoy teaching you how to make it your power.”

“H-he’s just hungry,” Shmi croaked out. “Vader?” She questioned quietly. The name was _awful_ for a baby so innocent.

“A Sith Apprentice requires a Sith name,” Palpatine answered coldly. “You now serve as Lord Vader’s housekeeper and nursemaid. If he asks about his mother, you are to tell him that he killed her at birth, is that clear?”

“Why does it have to be such a gruesome lie? He’s a baby, he won’t understand, he’ll feel guilty...I...I don’t mind telling him his…” she tried not to cry, “...his mother is dead, but does he need to grow up with that guilt?” Shmi was being bold, she knew it would have consequences, but her motherly instincts were stronger than never and she wanted to shield her son from all the heartache she could and not cause it.

Palpatine calmly drew his lightsaber and ignited it, the crimson blade hovering mere inches above Anakin’s tiny face. “Would you like to try that response again, slave?”

Shmi gasped and sit quickly and she cringed at the pain in her stomach. “No, please, please... I’ll... I’ll do as you ask. Please don’t hurt him,” Anakin screamed louder, his face red as his little legs kicked and he waved his little arms in the air. “I’ll be good,” she whispered.

“Good.” He thrust Anakin into her arms with a scowl. Shmi immediately cradled her son carefully, rocking him. Trying to sooth his desperate cries.  “I will be keeping an eye on you both, but I have more important matters at hand.” He deactivated the lightsaber and turned on his heel, leaving Shmi alone with her precious son.

She broke down crying as he left, while at the same time trying to offer Anakin some comfort. “It’s alright, Ani, he won’t hurt you,” she whispered between sobs. “It’s alright, my love,” she rocked him but Anakin didn’t seem to like that his mother was in pain either, so he sniffed, a pout in his lips and red-rimmed blue eyes. “You’re so beautiful, little one,” she chuckled through the tears. “So, so beautiful.”

His little hand wriggled free of the swaddling, reaching up and touching her face.

“I love you, Anakin,” she whispered. 


	12. The Truth and the Consequences

Padmé set down another set of mugs for the table, looking from her quiet, distant-looking husband to his mother, to the Jedi master as the weight of Shmi’s story set in. “I’m so sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Shmi insisted kindly.

“I remember,” Obi-Wan rubbed at his beard thoughtfully, “we heard about your attempts to contact us. We made it to Imperial Center and the palace itself.” He turned and looked at Vader, who only briefly met his eyes. “I think you must have been five, I remember Qui-Gon carrying you on his hip. We were in the hangar when the troopers and Sidious’ Apprentice caught us.”

“I don’t remember,” Vader said hollowly.

“You wouldn’t.” Shmi shook her head. “The Emperor was not pleased when he found out. He made me watch as he took out every memory of your true name and the rescue attempt before he gave you that scar over your eye.”

Vader frowned as he reached up to gently trace the scar over his eye. From what he can remember, the scar was during training, when he got reckless. Had that also been a lie? “It sounds like Sidious,” he commented, looking down at the mug filled with caf.

“Exactly like him,” Padmé muttered, rubbing her hands together ruefully.

“Qui-Gon fell to… Maul, you said? The Zabrak?”

“Yes.” Shmi nodded. “You killed him, didn’t you? I remember Dooku arrived within the year after that.”

“I did,” Obi-Wan nodded grimly. “I should have stayed and tried again. All of this could have been avoided—”

“Sidious would have killed you.” It was Padmé who spoke up. “And then he would have killed Anakin— Vader.”

“Excuse me,” Vader whispered standing up and leaving the cabin without another word.

Vader walked through the cruiser until he found a hideout in one of the cruiser’s empty hallway. He stared at the stars as he leaned against the metal border of the window. He was shaken. It was something so surreal and he couldn’t help but feel betrayed. Vader knew the sacrifice Shmi had done for him, what she had to do to keep him safe but for so many years, Vader could have known the truth and he remained in the dark. It had been a complicated month and a half and Vader felt like locking himself away for a while to soak up every event. It was the attack in Chommel Minor, Shmi’s abduction, dealing with his injuries and consequent recovery that was still ongoing, albeit slowly.

He was not _unhappy_ that Shmi was his mother, on the contrary actually. It made perfect sense, the more he thought about it. It always puzzled him why he felt a strong connection to the woman who, for him, should be nothing more than a Palace housekeeper. But Vader always cared for her in a way that he could never explain, until now. He always thought it was because she took care of him in a way no one else would or did and that was why he felt he was in her debt, because to have someone care for you when you feel like you’re disposable, was a big deal.

Of course he didn’t want Shmi gone, just because he was hurt right now, it did not mean it would last forever and she _had_ tried to save them both when he was little. But she had not been a match for Sidious, and neither was Obi-Wan’s Jedi Master, Qui-Gon. It was that little piece of his memory he wanted to get back. He wanted to remember the feeling of _knowing_ he had a mother, of being truly _loved._ He knew if he searched deep into the Force, that it would lead him to the missing piece of his memory. But he was weak at the moment and all of his energy was concentrated on healing.

 _Anakin._ His name was so foreign, but it tasted better than Vader. It felt somewhat familiar, and maybe it was his subconscious letting him know he had heard that name, he had been called that name.

He sighed deeply. It had been a rollercoaster of emotions lately and his headache had intensified in the last few hours.

“Will you allow me to interrupt?” Obi-Wan asked politely.

“What is it?” Vader asked, not turning to look at the former Jedi.

“Your wife and your mo… Shmi thought you should not be alone. And they didn’t think you’d want either of them to speak to you.”

“What made them think I would want to speak with you?” He retorted. “I can be alone, I’m not going to commit a crime and you don’t have to do them this little favor.”

“They’re concerned for you.”

“I’m tired, I have that right,” he snapped. “After everything that was said in there, what was everyone expecting me to do?”

“I don’t know.”

Vader scowled. “It’s a lot to process and I just wanted a moment.”

“I think you’re lucky,” Obi-Wan told him quietly and Vader looked at him, narrowing in his and not believing his ears. “I left Stewjon when I was two. In the last days of the Republic. I have no memory of my parents, only Qui-Gon and the other Masters who survived the Purges.”

“That was the Jedi, wasn’t it? Take the children away before they get attached. At least, no one lied to you for your entire life. I get why, so stop telling me about the reasons she did what she did, but I feel hurt, I feel betrayed. How can you say I’m lucky? You don’t know my life, you don’t know my past. You’re the lucky one here, Obi-Wan,” Vader vented. “You’re going home, where a loving wife is expecting you and your son is going to be there, waiting for you, idolizing you. I have a wife that hates me and a mother that forgot to tell me the truth when Sidious died and the threat was gone,” he rambled. “There. That’s our talk.”

“If she had told you immediately after, would you have believed her?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Yes! Because, you know what, it makes sense and if she had told me the whole story, I would have known she was telling the truth. I know the opinion you have of me, but give me a little credit. I did just risk a lot by coming to Jedha to save her and I did _not_ know she was my mother,” Vader argued.

“My opinion of you has very little to do with it. I suspect her guilt might have been what prevented her telling you sooner.”

“Ugh, why don’t you leave me alone? I don’t need your parenting. We’ll leave you in Mandalore as soon as we enter the system and you can go ahead and give your speeches to your son.”

“And my wife?” Obi-Wan prompted. “We did have certain arrangements we’ve yet to discuss regarding Mandalore if you’d prefer that.”

Vader sighed and rubbed his good over his forehead tiredly. “I know and I would be happy to speak with the Duchess as soon as she decides to visit us in the Imperial Center. To thank you for your help today, I will gladly support her cause. Mandalore will be in much better hands than Deathwatch, I cannot deny that.”

“I thank you for it.”

* * *

I can’t believe you had to carry that burden all this time,” Padmé whispered, staring at Shmi.

“It’s a mother’s duty,” Shmi smiled sadly and sipped her tea. “I am relieved he knows. But worried, he didn’t seem okay at all,” she said, frowning in concern.

“He’s like that with me all the time,” Padmé muttered. “I’ve learned to accept that it’s just who he is. It’s better than Sidious.”

“He’s not always like that,” Shmi whispered. “I know he’s angry with me and it will probably be better if I ask Obi-Wan to stay with him in Mandalore while Anakin calms down.”

“That’s only going to make it worse.” Padmé wound the loose curls hanging down her back into a knot and pinned them in place. “He’s already furious with me.”

“You’re probably right. I don’t want to leave either, I don’t want to leave him alone,” she sighed. “What did you do?” Shmi raised her eyebrows.

“I made him bring me on this mission. I was distracting Saw while he and Obi-Wan came to rescue you.”

Shmi laughed. “Oh, I know he couldn’t be happy with that. He cares too much about you to let you get into harm’s way intentionally.”

Padmé smiled a little, rubbing her fingers together. “Something happened today when Gerrera was calling me a whore. It was like something snapped inside me, and suddenly, it all came pouring out of me, everything that happened… I feel different now.”

Shmi reached out and took her hand. “I’m happy. That happened because you finally stopped caring about what others would think and accepted what happened to you. By doing that, you are finally able to move forward with your life and Padmé, that is all I ever wished for you.”

“I just… I hope he didn’t hear it,” Padmé whispered. “I… mentioned him.”

“If it was during the moment they were rescuing me, I vaguely remember Obi-Wan scolding him and telling him to ignore something and focus,” Shmi said slowly. “If you were on the comms, then I believe he heard everything.”

“Oh, Force, he probably hates _me_ more than anyone right now.” Padmé buried her head in her hands.

“He doesn’t hate you,” Shmi guaranteed her with a small smile. “Anakin has a tendency to let his temper fly off the handle, but that’s because Palpatine always taught him that that was the best way to channel his anger and fury. Now he needs to learn how to control it. I can’t forget he’s only twenty-three,” she sighed and sipped her tea. “I hope Obi-Wan gets through to him.”

“I don’t if anyone could. Not unless he wants to.” Padmé sighed. “I suppose it’s silly, but I’m relieved he’s not really my stepson. It means there was never any chance I could have… with Sidious.”

“I know Anakin is relieved as well,” Shmi nodded. “If he had been Sidious’ son, I would have opposed more to the union between you both, if I’m being honest. I know he has a lot of flaws, some of them my own fault for not saving him from Sidious’ grasp sooner, but he has a good heart, and he is a good man. Sometimes, he just needs a little push in the right direction and he does care for you.”

“I still don’t know if I can care for him like that.”

Shmi nodded and wrapped her hands around the mug. “You should tell him. I know… I know you have expressed your feelings more than once but if this marriage between you both is not moving forward, has no future whatsoever, then you need to tell him and I know he will listen. If he’s on speaking terms with me, I’ll try to lend a helping hand.”

“I can’t.”

“Why? He’s not going back on his word and destroy Naboo if that is what you are concerned. He will still protect you.”

“No, I know,” Padmé sighed. “I can’t have a life outside Imperial Center. Not really. Even if I did leave Vader— Anakin, I couldn’t… I can’t imagine telling someone else everything that happened to me. Even if I’m alright with it for myself, telling another person about it, trusting them like that… No.”

“I see,” she nodded. “I understand, of course. But can you live the rest of your life in a comfortless marriage?” Shmi knew how Anakin would get. Restless. “I want you both to be happy, please don’t get me wrong. I know he didn’t act well when he forced your hand in marriage, but I also know that you both have time to be happy and not settle for something that just because it works, it fits the part.”

“If he wants to find happiness elsewhere, he can. But I’ve accepted that it’s just not something the Force intended for me,” Padmé whispered. “I’m going back to my cabin now if you don’t mind.”

“Before you go… will you accept him to take another woman and watch her fill the space he had reserved for you, piece by piece?” Shmi whispered, with understanding eyes.

Padmé paused in the doorway, her back turned to her husband’s mother. “It doesn’t matter. One of us should get to be happy.”

Shmi sighed and shook her head. She hoped they both knew what they were doing or they would be in for the biggest heartache of their lives.

* * *

  _I confess that I went to Vader for help and that he coerced me into becoming his wife after he murdered Palpatine. I confess to letting him pleasure me, and returning the favor. I confess to being his prize and his Empress._

Vader was repeating Padmé’s speech to Gerrera on his datapad, head between his hands and face completely blank. The recording repeated itself over and over again and he closed his eyes, trying to come to terms with it.

“Master Vader?” Threepio asked, waddling in. “Miss Shmi is asking to see you. If you’d be willing to see her.”

“Let her in,” he sighed, not moving.

Shmi stepped inside, still looking a little nervous. “You should put that away,” she said, indicating the datapad.

“I can’t,” he whispered as it once again played the speech and they both listened to it. “I just… never mind.” He shut down the datapad and threw it away roughly. A crack echoed through the room and Vader made a face.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.

Vader thought for a moment, chewing on his lip. “I’m never going to make her happy, am I? No matter what I do. How much effort I put into my actions. Nothing will ever be enough and she will always be miserable, resenting me and thinking of me the way she does of Sidious,” he said.

“She came to help you save me, I think that should be a very big indication that she does not think of you the way she thought of him.”

“You were a friend to her as well. But… I’m the monster.” He shook his head.

“Ani, no.”

At the nickname and the overwhelming rush of emotions, he stood and rushed towards her, wrapping his arms around her and hiding his face on her neck. Shmi easily held him tight, running her hands through his hair as she swayed back and forth. “I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but the fact that she was able to say all of that, it’s a good thing. It means she’s accepted it. That she can move forward now.”

“I don’t know, I will always be the monster that _coerced_ her into marrying him,” he mumbled and pulled back. “I don’t… I don’t want you gone. You’re my Mom,” he whispered. “You’re all I have,” he said, more vulnerable than never. “And I need you so much.”

“I am never going to leave,” she promised, still holding him tightly. “I love you, just as much as I did the day you were born.”

Vader nodded and wrapped his arms around her again. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Shmi… _Mom_ … I…” it was something he had never, ever, told anyone. “I love you too,” it was barely audible.

“It’s going to be alright,” she promised him. “I promise.”

“I don’t know,” he confessed. “I feel like giving up. I’m hurt, I’m tired, I am at my lowest and I feel myself going under.”

“You need to get some sleep,” she said, smiling softly. “Would you be willing to let your mother tuck you in?”

Vader laughed. “As long as you don’t tell anyone. No one would take their Emperor seriously again,” he hastily cleaned his cheeks. “But I would like that, yes.”

“That’s my boy.” She kissed him on both cheeks, smiling through tears of her own. “I knew you were always there.”

“Barely, but I am,” he whispered.

“Shhhh.” His mother smoothed down his hair. “We’ll talk about that later.”

“Mom…” He prompted quietly, and the word was so warm for him, so good. Vader moved towards the already prepared bed and sat down. “She’s never going to love me, is she?”

“She’s still remembering how to love, Ani.”

He shook his head as he took his medication for his injuries. “It’s more than that, it’s...it’s me. There is something about me that she will always hate. I’m starting to wonder about everything I’ve done and I know not everything was a good choice.”

“That’s what happens when the Dark isn’t all you know.”

Vader nodded and laid down on the bed, he could sleep for weeks, the way he felt. “Thanks to you, it’s not,” he said, as he sighed in content as his head hit the pillow. Shmi ran her hands through his hair, singing softly in a tune he vaguely recognized, one that lulled him into an instant sense of comfort, security, and then deep, dreamless sleep.


	13. The Offer and the Agreement

“Can we talk?”

At the sound of her voice, Vader stiffened, barely looking up from his datapad to his wife. Two months after Shmi’s rescue and her speech to Gerrera, this was what they were reduced to, an awkward marriage. “I don’t have a lot of time. Is it a quick subject?” He answered.

Padmé moved into the room, shimmering in a dark blue velvet dress that he definitely hadn’t ordered for her. “I want to take back the Senate.”

He frowned, and locked the datapad immediately, raising his head to meet her stern and firm brown gaze. “I don’t think that is a good idea, Padmé, the Senate it’s working well right now, I don’t want anything to ruin that,” he said, shaking his head.

“I can do it, I’m better now!” she insisted. “You know I am, I want to do more than just a few bills!”

“You said you could do it last time too until you had a panic attack in front of the entire Senate,” Vader said, standing up. “What if that happens again? We can’t afford that to happen!”

“It’s not the same. After Jedha, the Senate doesn’t scare me anymore!”

“Oh, well, are you going to use the same introduction speech with our Senators?” He asked, ticked off, more harshly than what he had initially intended. “I just want to know so I can be prepared for the backlash.”

“I suppose that depends on whether or not any of them want to call me a whore to my face,” she replied.

“Then, if you need it, the speech it’s recorded if you want to walk around with it prepared to blast in anyone’s face.” He crossed his arms, eyes narrowing in annoyance. “I still don’t think it’s a good idea. There’s too much at stake.”

“You said you wanted me to be your Empress,” she reminded him. “Your partner. Here I am, asking to be that, and you’re saying no. Make up your mind!”

“Oh, so you choose now to remember what I said two years ago,” he raised one eyebrow. “Padmé, I didn’t change my mind about that, but the way you handled the Senate the last time left me with serious doubts. I can’t have you publicly freak out again. What if it happens? What if you go into that rotunda with all eyes on you and you lose it?”

“I had eyes on me and I managed to recount some of the most horrible experiences of my life,” Padmé pointed out fiercely. “And those people wanted to kill me. I can handle the Senate.”

They had a staring contest for about two minutes before Vader shrugged and sat back down, going back to examine the reports on his datapad. “You know what? Do whatever you want. The Senate reunites this afternoon because of the bill to abolish the slave trading in Zygerria. It’s all yours,” he said. “But when push comes to shove, don’t say I’ve _coerced_ you into entering that pod.”

Padmé narrowed her eyes. “So that _is_ what’s had you mad at me for the past two months.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t been mad at anyone. I’m finally recovered from my injuries, my Mom is alive and at my side and I have been having more good days at Court and at the Senate,” he lifted his shoulders in a small shrug.

“You’re mad at _me_ ,” she insisted. “Because I told them the truth.”

“Again, I’m not mad. I’m simply getting out of your personal space and allowing you to breathe without me _coercing_ you into decisions and unwanted festivities—”

“Oh, _shut up!”_

He looked up from his datapad, very calmly. “You’re the one standing in my office, Padmé. If you would like to stop listening to me, the door is right behind you.”

“I would like you to stop acting like a child because I said the truth to an extremist Rebel in a provocative way so that I could buy you time to save your mother!” she shouted.

“I’m not acting like a child, I simply took a break from wrecking my brain or bending over backward so that I could make you happy _somehow._ At this moment in time, I have _no idea_ what you want from me, Padmé. I know what you said to Saw was true, I’m not stating otherwise and _I’m not mad_ ,” he scowled, standing up.

“If you’re so interested in what would make me happy or what I want from you, you might just _ask me!”_

“I wouldn’t get a ‘ _whatever you wish, my lord’_ or something along those lines?” He said exasperatedly. “Padmé, I get it. I do. I have accepted my place and now I’m focused on doing my job as Emperor and I will let you do yours as Empress. The Senate. Three in the afternoon. You don’t have a lot of free time if you want to have lunch and let Eirtaé fill you in on the bill being discussed.”

“ _Whatever you wish, my lord,”_ she snapped, grabbing one of the knick-knacks on the shelf and throwing it at his head.

He dodged it just in time, his Force reflexes sharp as ever. “ _Now,_ who’s being childish?” He hissed.

“I’ll give back what I get!”

“I hope you are more of a grown-up in the Senate,” Vader scowled and used the Force to return his collector edition X-Wing back to its place on the shelf.

“I’ll see you at dinner, then.”

“I will be in a meeting until late, you shouldn’t wait for me,” he returned, for the third time, to his datapad.

* * *

 “Have you seen the HoloNet?” Shmi asked, giving him a small smile as she arrived in his study. Since their return, Vader had decided to make her his latest Grand Vizier, since it was easier than running through countless sycophants, and she was taking to the job with a shine he hadn’t expected. It was almost like it had taken years off her face.

Vader was scanning new engine models for the Battalion ships when she entered and he shook his head. “No, I didn’t turn it on today.”

“Padmé’s on every channel. People are calling her magnificent.”

“Because she is,” he said with a shrug, not sounding surprised at his wife’s achievement. “I’m just happy she didn’t run away again,” Vader sighed and moved to the next engine model, taking notes. “That would have been a disaster.”

“Ani, you’re allowed to be proud of her.”

“Who said I’m not?” He asked as he enlarged some of the details of the engine and spun it to see all around. “I knew she was capable of it. You should go and celebrate with her, if you want.”

“I don’t think _I’m_ the one who should be celebrating with her.”

Vader pursed her lips. “Far from me to  _coerce_ her into having fun with me. You should go, Mom. I have a long meeting before I can officially retire for the evening,” he said nonchalantly.

“Anakin Skywalker, you are acting like a child.”

Vader sighed and shut the holo off. His Mother had taken pleasure in calling him by his given name, and he didn’t mind. He was getting used to being _truly_ scolded like any regular person. “I am tired, Mom. _Tired_. We are weeks away from our second anniversary and I don’t think we’ll celebrate it, _again_ , I mean, stupid me, there’s actually nothing to celebrate but a _coercion_.” He shook his head.

“Just apologize to her!” Shmi insisted. “Force, Anakin, the two of you could finally have a chance to build a proper marriage and future together, and you’re so determined to hold onto the negative that you’re missing it!”

“Why am I always the one to apologize?” Vader threw his arms up in exasperation. “I don’t think she wants a future together. Actually, I don’t have a clue of what she wants. I can’t help but hold onto the negative because it’s _all_ we have.”

“Apologizing is not easy to do when you learn a certain way of doing it,” Shmi said, patient as always.

“ _Mom_ ,” Vader cried out, annoyed. “Just drop the subject, please. I’m fine. Busy. She’s probably going to celebrate with the handmaidens and you should go too,” Vader grabbed the datapad again.

“Alright. For now. I’ll go make sure everything’s ready for the Kenobi family when they arrive tomorrow.”

Vader groaned and dropped his head into his hands. “I forgot about that.”

“Talks like these can go for months, don’t worry about it too much,” Shmi promised, kissing his hair. “Don’t forget to take some time to relax. And to do those meditations Obi-Wan suggested for your memories.”

“Ugh, I’m not worried about the talks for Mandalore’s, I just don’t want to deal with Obi-Wan pestering me with his cryptic thoughts and unhelpful advice,” Vader made a face. “Maybe I can divert his attention so he can entertain Padmé instead of following me around. They get along well, she needs the company of someone other than me,” he sighed.

“Even when you were being born, you were stubborn,” Shmi said, shaking her head. “You must get it from the Force.”

Vader shrugged and didn’t reply. “You _really_ want me to do some kind of celebration for our wedding anniversary, don’t you?”

“I think there should be something to mark the occasion. But not necessarily a public spectacle.”

“What do you mean?”

“There are multiple ways to observe an anniversary, dear. I’m sure Padmé’s had her fill of feasts and public showings.”

Vader snorted. “Doesn’t matter. She didn’t flip out with the Senate, she will with anything that resembles a celebration of _us,”_ he said before muttering, “wouldn’t want to _coerce_ her into a party.”

“Give me the datapad. We’re erasing that speech. You’re fixating on it.”

“No, the datapad stays,” he said, shielding it. “She was more honest than she had been in close to two years. I’ll save it.”

Shmi exhaled a long sigh through clenched teeth. “Alright. Fine.”

* * *

 When Vader was finally done for the evening, he returned to his bedroom to find Padmé sitting on his couch and wearing a billowing nightgown of white gauze and golden lace along the shoulders and neck. She was sitting with her knees up, running through a datapad. He hesitated, not expecting her presence in his quarters.“You weren’t exaggerating when you said it’d be late.”

“What made you think I did?” He sighed tiredly, removing his cloak and sitting in an armchair, to remove his boots. “You should be resting, Padmé. I heard you had a big day in the Senate and tomorrow won’t be easier.”

“I know. That’s why I’m here. I can’t sleep in my room tonight, Sabé and Dormé had to call the pest control droid. Apparently, there are spider-rats in my room.”

“Oh,” he frowned. “That’s new. I hope it’s not a general thing around the Palace,” he would need to request the droid to check-up the rest of the Palace. “You didn’t have to wait up for me, though.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose, I was just preparing for tomorrow, and I didn’t want to stop.” She put down the datapad and looked at him. “But since we _are_ both awake and here, I will say the artisans and craftsmen who worked for Sidious are practically flooding my communications asking what we want for next month. And reminding me that their rates will go up if a decision isn’t made soon.”

Vader made a face. “Ah, I see,” he said.

“Do you want a party?”

“It’s not up to me, Padmé. It’s going to depend on what you want,” he said as he grabbed his sleepwear from the wardrobe.

“I’ve never thought anniversaries were meant to be public spectacles,” she said, picking up the datapad again. “I remember my parents would celebrate theirs by taking trips out to Varykino by themselves and leave me and Sola with a relative or colleague. It was very intimate and personal. Unless it was a milestone. For their tenth anniversary, they brought their entire wedding party back together. I used to picture things like that when I was very young. Of course, Sheev had other ideas.”

Vader was a foot away from entering the fresher and his Mom’s words rang in his head. He cursed himself and rolled his eyes. “Do you want to take a trip to Varykino?” He asked. “Just us. Intimate, not a spectacle...”

She bit her lip, raising an eyebrow. “Maybe I could do that thing you like. In the sand.” Despite her teeth trying to hold it back, she was clearly smiling.

“I will not enjoy anything that involves sand,” he pointed out.

“Fine, just the first part, then. I was thinking I might try it without the blindfold too.”

He cocked one eyebrow. “First the Senate and now this? I’m surprised you’re becoming so bold all of the sudden. And it’s called a handjob, by the way,”

She wrinkled her nose. “Well, that makes it sound far less appealing and much more like work.”

“Padmé, just because I call it an intimate trip, it doesn’t mean we have to be _intimate_. We can just fly to Varykino for a week, get some rest and do flower crowns for your nieces if that is all that you want to do,” he sighed.

“You know I _like_ doing it, don’t you?”

Vader had had enough of holding his tongue on the subject.“I know you do, but it’s not enough for me anymore,” he confessed. “I can’t handle foreplay any longer. I’m sorry, I don’t think it’s physically possible for me to hold control. So, flower crowns it is,” he shook his head and entered the fresher before she could speak to take a shower and change his clothes.

When he finally got out, Padmé had taken one of the blankets from the bed and put it over her knees. “I understand.”

“What do you mean? Why aren’t you in bed? Aren’t you tired?” He climbed into bed, underneath the silky black sheets and one of the red blankets. His day had been particularly long and he had his Mom buzzing in his ears, he had the argument with Padmé and now... another argument with her.

“I’ll be sleeping here. And since… foreplay with me isn’t something you can handle anymore, I think it’s time to tell you what I’ve been thinking about for some time.”

“Stop being like that and come to bed, Padmé, it’s big enough for us to share,” Vader groaned. “What is that?” He sighed and laid down to stare at the ceiling.

“You shouldn’t feel bound to me.”

He sat up, narrowing his eyes and hoping she didn’t mean what he thought she did. “What?”

“I understand that you have needs, and if those needs require you to have other partners, I will not stand in your way.”

His mouth opened in shock. “You are _unbelievable,_ ” he stood up from the bed. “Have you taken a minute to hear how ridiculous you sound giving me permission to sleep with other women?” He scowled, irritated. “There’s something wrong with you! This is not what I want, blast it.”

“Then tell me what you want! It won’t be _coercing_ if that’s what worries you!”

“I want _you!”_ He shouted in response, blue eyes blazing. “All of you! If you haven’t realized it yet, I’ve been doing _everything_ for the past two years to make you happy, to heal you, to prove that I am different but apparently, for you, it was all a big scheme of _coercion_.”

“That is _not_ fair! I used that word once! You haven’t forced me to do anything! You know it and I know it! I’m damaged, that much is clear, and I don’t know how to be happy the way you’ve been trying to do it! And I’m sorry for that, but I am doing the best that I can!”

“You’re not beyond repair, look at what you did in the Senate!”

“That doesn’t mean I’m  _entirely_ fixed! If you’d known this was what it was going to be like, would you have still wanted me?”

Vader sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. “I would have done things differently. But ultimately, yes.”

Padmé lifted the blanket off her legs and carried it back to the bed. “I need to do some thinking. On my own. I’ll sleep in one of the guest rooms.”

He scoffed and returned to bed, angrily fixing the covers so he could lay down. Obviously, he was not going to get any proper sleep this night.

* * *

 “Your wife wants to see you, sir,” Eirtaé said, marching in without letting Threepio announce her. “She’s in her office. And she said it was important.”

“I am sorry, Master Vader…”

“It’s alright, Threepio,” Vader said. “Let’s go,” he said to Eirtaé.

He followed his wife’s Chief of Staff until her office and Eirtaé knocked on the door. “Oh, so you do knock before you burst through the doors,” he said dryly.

“Just letting her know you’re here.” Eirtaé opened the door without waiting for Padmé’s permission. “He’s here.”

“Thank you, Eirtaé, you can go.” Padmé closed the holoscreen on her desk. “Be ready to cancel my meetings for the day, I don’t know how long we’ll be.”

“Of course, Empress.” Eirtaé closed the door behind them, and Padmé produced a piece of flimsi from her desk, the sheer pink capelet of her dress rippling as she laid it out neatly in front of him.

“So we’re clear, this is entirely my choice. Whether or not you agree to it is up to you, but if you do, I want to be sure you understand that I made this decision of my own accord. Not because you forced me in any way, or because I felt obligated,” she told him.

It was almost like she was Force-sensitive and had read his mind. “You’ve drawn a contract relating to the fact that… we might begin a sexual life?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Not a contract so much as guidelines,” she corrected.

“Guidelines? Can’t we just _talk_ about it and have a mutual agreement, you need guidelines?” Vader was starting to regret bringing up the topic.

“That was exactly why I asked you to come here. I know what I need there to be for this to work, theoretically.” Padmé sighed, folding her arms. “I want to know if _you_ have any similar needs and to make sure that we’re on the same page. No surprises, no panic attacks, just clear understanding. Trust.”

“I don’t need guidelines to have sex, Padmé, or have any specific request,” he sighed, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. Two years ago, all it took for him to have relations with a woman was mutual consent, right now he had _guidelines_ and while part of him understood where she came from, the other part was baffled. “Which ones are yours?”

“There’s only two.” She raised her index finger. “Contraceptives. As many of them as can be used safely and effectively. Considering how many fertility boosters _he_ had put in me over the years, I think it’s safest not to take any chances. We can both agree we’re still not ready for a child, yes?”

The rate that they were going, they were _never_ going to be ready. “Yes, that’s not something we can to think about, so contraceptives are fine for me. Is that everything?”

“No, there’s one other thing.” She laced her fingers together. “I need you to be gentle.”

Vader shifted on his feet, sighing and crossing his arms. “Aren’t I always?” He quipped.

“I’m serious! If anything would… upset me, that would be it, and I don’t _want_ to be upset!” she insisted, looking hurt that he would make a joke about it, even a sarcastic one. “I want this to work.”

“I’ll be gentle and at the first sign of a trigger, I’ll leave you alone, I promise,” he raised his arms in a clear sign of defense. “Contraceptives, gentleness... do we need anything else?”

“No.” She shook her head, the motion making her curls bounce. “That’s all I need.”

Everything was so clinical, so detailed oriented, that Vader wondered if it was really going to happen. It was not something that came up naturally and he knew he was upsetting her for not jumping up and down in joy. “I’ll ask my Mom and Eirtaé to sort out the details of our trip to Varykino, in three standard weeks. How long do you want to stay? Three days or a week?”

“How long do you think the galaxy can survive without us?” she asked with a little twinkle in her eyes.

“Not long,” he smirked. “A week, then. We could visit your family while we’re there.”

“Only for one night, though. I’m not giving Pooja the chance to try and steal you.”

“Maybe she already found a boyfriend,” he said. “We’ll go there on the first night, I did promise your parents I would make you visit more often.”

“She’s _six!_ ”

“What? These days, kids start dating early and maybe she finds someone in her class cute too,” Vader shrugged with a chuckle. “We could take a chance to go to Theed, too. Isn’t the Queen eager to have some private time with you?”

“Kriff the Queen, this is supposed to be a vacation,” Padmé grumbled.

“I am just suggesting a social visit while we’re sightseeing. I have been to Naboo but I never visited with time, maybe you can give me a tour while we’re there.”

“Maybe.” She opened the holoscreen again.

Vader sighed and ended up sitting down in one of the chairs. “Maybe we should just be spontaneous and decide what to do when we get there. It’s a vacation, after all, we don’t need to be closed off in the villa.”

“That’s fine. Just so long as you don’t try to ride another shaak.”

“No, I’ve learned my lesson,” he said and after a moment of hesitation, he stood. He had a feeling neither of them got what they wanted and hoped that they would loosen up until the trip. “The Kenobis will arrive in the evening and a dinner is being prepared. Do you need anything else?”

“Come here,” she requested, standing up and beckoning him toward her. “Please.”

He approached her without hesitation. “What is it?” Vader asked leaning against her desk, at her side. Padmé placed her hands on his face and pulled him in to kiss him. There was the slight taste of citrus on her lips, and her fingers were soft against his skin.

“That’s it,” she said quietly as she pulled away.

He was surprised but then he pulled her back to him and kissed her, one arm around her waist hugging her tightly to him and a hand cradling her cheek as his mouth moved over hers. He had missed kissing her. He missed her. Her hands slipped down, wrapping around his neck as she pulled him closer, hopping up onto the desk. The pale pink dress she was wearing was a sheath, which limited her motion, but it didn’t stop her ankles from hooking around his legs. He moaned against her mouth and picked her up, turning them around so she sat in her desk. He tugged her forward, so he stood in the middle of her legs, ravishing her mouth.

Padmé moaned into the embrace, her hands falling back on the desk as she bit down on his lip. Vader pushed her skirts out of the way to caress the smooth skin of her thighs as he moves his lips to kiss down her neck, his tongue teasing her sensitive spots as his hands pushed her hips forward, to meet him and he rocked against her.

“So the ban on foreplay is lifted?” she teased, her head tipping back.

“Who said anything about foreplay? This is just a really _heavy_ makeout session as a way of celebration that we’ve made up,” he mumbled, voice muffled by the skin of her collarbone.

“If you say so,” she laughed as his lips tickled her skin.

“Master Vader, there is an urgent message coming from Kamin— oh, my!” Threepio awkwardly reached up to cover his eyes. “I am terribly sorry, my lady!”

“Threepio, _leave_ ,” Vader grumbled and Force-threw one of her small knick-knacks against the protocol droid. “Now!” He didn’t let go of her or moved his eyes away from her. “Have my Mother take the call.”

“This is terribly improper!” the droid fretted as he hurried off, and Padmé stifled a giggle.

“Oops.”

“Where were we?” He whispered nuzzling her cheek.

“Here, I think.” She took his collar in hand and pulled him back in for another kiss.


	14. The Retreat and the Words

“It never stops being beautiful,” Padmé remarked as Naboo came into view. Vader smiled from the pilot’s seat.

“No, it does not.” He agreed. “We’re getting ready to land, you better sit and put on the safety belt.”

“If I must,” she sighed, buckling the restraint over the cloud-like white fabric of her dress, a little hint of a smile playing on her lips. “Remember, don’t encourage Pooja.”

“I can’t resist her,” Vader laughed. “She’ll pout!”

“If you can’t, I’ll make you regret it tonight,” she warned, a not so subtle reminder of their plans for once they reached Varykino.

Vader shivered. “Fine, I’ll behave. I can’t believe you are jealous of Pooja. Afraid she’s more adorable than you?”

“Oh, I know she is.” Padmé sighed, fiddling with her hair as they neared the private hangar that had been set aside for them. “She reminds me of myself.”

“Children tend to be more adorable than adults, so it’s fine because she’s more adorable than me too,” Vader chuckled. “Maybe one day she’ll be the Queen too. She certainly has the spirit.”

“I know.” Padmé picked at her nails. “I just hope it won’t hurt her like it did me.” From outside the ship, Artoo said something in binary.

“I know, buddy, we’re almost there,” Vader replied and began landing the ship. “Well, she’s still six, so she has time to figure out what she wants. Maybe she doesn’t want to be Queen and will just become a pain in the Senate for you to handle,” he smirked as he ship landed and he unlocked his belts. “We’re here!” He said cheerfully.

“Aunty Padmé, Uncle Vader!” Even from outside the ship, they could hear the girls shrieking in delight. Padmé unbuckled her safety belt and reached out for Vader to help her up.

“Please? These skirts are huge.”

“We’re on vacation, maybe you should have packed more comfortable clothing?” He chuckled as he took her hands and pulled her up.

“This _is_ comfortable. Just not maneuverable,” she corrected as the ship opened and two little girls came charging in.

“You’re here!” Ryoo squealed as Pooja hugged Vader’s waist. “We missed you!”

“Did you bring presents?” Pooja asked, looking up at Vader with pure adoration.

“I did. I promised, remember? I keep my promises.” Vader smiled mysteriously, grabbing the six-year-old and placing her on his hip. Pooja giggled and hugged his neck.

“Girls, come on, let them leave the ship,” Sola scolded from outside. “Don’t make me come in there.”

“Let them have their fun while they can,” Padmé told her sister as she emerged from the ship and gave Sola a slow hug. “Childhood is worth enjoying.”

Sola was clearly trying to hide a frown at her sister’s somber attitude. “Mom made quite the feast for the two of you at home. I hope you’re both hungry.”

“Mommy, look!” Pooja yelled, chasing her new present out of the cruiser. The orange and white astromech beeped in alarm, its round body spinning wildly as it tried to avoid her. “He’s so cute!”

“He’s running away from you!” Ryoo teased.

Artoo came down the ramp beeping at the younger astromech, and Vader followed next with Threepio close by. “He’s...shy,” he chuckled.

“Your majesty,” Sola nodded. “It’s good to see you again. Happy anniversary to both of you. And thank you, on behalf of my daughters, who seem to have forgotten their manners.”

“It’s good to see you too, Sola,” Vader said as he came to stand by Padmé’s side and he laced their fingers together. “Oh, it’s no trouble. I made a promise to the girls of bringing them a gift and I remembered how much they loved Artoo, so, I made them a little astromech too.”

“Well, we should get going. Everyone is waiting at Mom and Dad’s for you. Girls, come on,” Sola said, clapping her hands firmly.

“Do we get crowns again?” Ryoo asked as they started for the Naberrie home.

“You Aunt has a whole part of her wardrobe filled with them, you should ask  to borrow one from her!” Vader chuckled.

“Maybe when they’re older,” Padmé said. “Crowns are not toys, after all.”

“But they’re pretty!” Pooja complained. “And I want to be a princess!”

“We already are, Aunty Padmé’s the Empress!” Ryoo added in support. “Why shouldn’t we get crowns?”

Vader kept snickering. “I think they would look cute with diamonds.”

“Maybe when we’re certain they won’t be abusing the power,” Padmé insisted, rolling her eyes as they made their way up the steps to her parents’ house.

“Hey!” Darred was the one to open the door. “Welcome home, Padmé. Your majesty.” He gave a little bow to Vader. “Come on in, you’re just in time. I think Jobal was about to get ready to feed an army.”

“Of course she was.” Sola laughed, removing her cloak. “Mom, you can stop, they’re here.”

“Oh my goodness!” Padmé’s mother bustled into the room, a smudge of flour on her cheek. “It’s so wonderful to see you both!”

“Mother…” Padmé pointed at the spot as Jobal pulled them both into a hug.

“Oh, forgive me, is there a royal protocol for hugging?” she asked, smiling mischievously at Vader.

“No, there is not, and there’s no need to call me  _your majesty,_ you are family after all,” Vader said rubbing soothing circles on Padmé’s back.

“Right, sorry. Just feels a little weird calling you Vader, what with how much you’re on the HoloNet,” Darred apologized. “Oh, and how much Ruwee and I get people coming in from the Theed University theater department asking about you two. Every student there wants to write a play or opera about you, or play you in the play or opera, _something_ like that.”

“Not while I’m alive,” Padmé said with a shudder.

“Maybe that’s a good way to honor us after we die, but until then, we would rather not have anything like that in our name,” Vader said, cringing as well. “Especially with recent developments.”

“Recent developments?” Ruwee asked, walking in with a glass decanter of toniray. “Are we talking about the Senate? That counts as recent?”

“Yes, your daughter was phenomenal, wasn’t she?” Vader said kissing her cheek.

“Magnificent,” Ruwee agreed, pouring glasses for all the adults. “That’s why she’s my favorite.”

“Father!” Sola protested. “I’m standing right here.”

“And I love you, dear.”

“Forever in my little sister’s shadow,” Sola said, taking a melodramatic drink of one of the glasses. “Doomed to be the less impressive sister.”

“Oh, stop it,” Padmé scolded. “Dad, you shouldn’t say things like that.”

“Bah” Ruwee scoffed, setting down the drinks to ruffle both his daughters’ hairstyles. “Vader, perhaps you’d like to join me and Darred out in the garden for a bit of men’s talk?”

“Of course,” Vader nodded and grabbed a glass for himself.

“Don’t take too long!” Jobal called from the kitchen.

“You two look... better, if it makes any sense,” Sola said coming up behind Padmé to wrap one arm around her little sister’s frame. “Closer, I think. How is everything at Imperial Center?”

“Fine,” Padmé said, shifting uncomfortably as she watched the girls playing with their new droid. “We had a bit of a rough patch, but it’s fine now.”

“What kind of a rough patch?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“There are a lot of things you don’t want to talk about,” Sola said, sadly. “I understand, Padmé, I do. I just wish you trusted me a little bit more, I would love to help you. Give you advice. The number of rough patches Darred and I already went through taught me a thing or two.”

“It’s not the same.”

Sola nodded and patted her arm. She dropped her own and sipped her drink again. “As you wish, your highness.” Padmé winced and went to go sit and play with the girls.

* * *

 “I’m glad to see the attacks on Chommell Minor didn’t affect her,” Ruwee remarked as they walked through the gardens. “Considering how she was when she last came for a stay here, I’m amazed by how much she’s improved. You’ve really helped her.”

“I haven’t done anything, believe me. It's all been her,” Vader said, a polite smile. “I have just let her do what she needed to.”

“I’m pretty sure she’d still be hiding out in Varykino if you hadn’t given her the push,” Darred said, clearly agreeing with their father-in-law. “She actually cried the first time she met the girls. And then hid in her bedroom.”

Vader sighed. “It… hasn’t been easy. We just recovered from a rough patch ourselves and… there are moments when everything seems perfect, but others were… things are not so good.”

“Because of your father?” Darred asked bluntly.

“Yes, about that, he was never my father,” Vader said casually, clearing his throat and taking a big sip of his drink. “I am not Emperor Palpatine’s son. Thank the Force.”

“I take it that’s not something you want being made public,” Ruwee said, tapping the side of his nose.

“I haven’t actually thought about it, there are so many things I still need to understand and...I found out who my Mom really was. Shmi? The chaperone that first accompanied Padmé here, I don’t know if you remember her?”

“Lovely woman. I think I see the resemblance now, yes.”

Vader smiled.

“So what does that mean for you and Padmé?” Darred prompted.

The Emperor sighed. “There’s the positive side of it all. I was never her stepson. I don’t know about the rest. Blood or not, the throne belongs to me,” he took another sip. “I don’t know what Padmé thinks it means for us, we were not exactly on speaking terms for two months.”

“What happened?”

“It’s not something that we want to be made public either,” Vader said. “We ended up finding a common ground and we’re going to enjoy our vacation to solidify that. I hope.”

“DADDY! GRANDPA!” Ryoo and Pooja’s shouts came from the house. “UNCLE VADER!”

The three men turned around startled.

“Girls, what is it?”

“DINNER!”

“Better not keep them waiting,” Darred said with a smile. “I’ve already spoiled them too much for that. Keep that in mind if you ever have a daughter. They’re menaces.”

Vader hesitated and drank the rest of the glass. “Yes. I’ll save that for… future reference.”

* * *

 Padmé sat on the balcony of Varykino’s second floor, staring out over the lake as she pulled her sleeveless white robe a little closer to her body with one hand, and fingered the now-empty vial of contraceptives with the other. Vader was still in the fresher after their journey from Theed, and despite her mother’s familiar cooking, she felt slightly sick with nerves. She was ready. She knew she was. But that didn’t change the fact that this was the first time in two years she was going to do this.

But it was going to be different. Vader was not Sidious. Anakin was not Sheev.

Vader had just left the shower but was still in the fresher. While he towel dried his hair, he thought about their plans and how ridiculously nervous he was. This wasn’t his first time. But it was just everything surrounding the moment that was weighing him down. Maybe he should tell her they could wait and they could just let it normally happen. He threw the towel in the dirty laundry basket and grabbed his black sleep pants and pulled them on. He thought about going out shirtless but maybe it would be forcing something so he just pulled his dark blue shirt over his torso as well and left the fresher.

“Isn’t it cold?” He questioned, watching her on the balcony and trying to be nonchalant.

“I don’t mind the cold that much,” she murmured quietly. “Before we moved to Theed, we lived up in the mountains. The water was always icy cold up there, but it never hurt. I loved it.”

He nodded. “I am from a warmer origin, so I guess that’s why I get cold. And why I wear black so much.”

“Are you cold now?” she asked, finally turning to look at him.

“No,” he answered quietly, sitting in the chair on the balcony, one leg under him.

“The moon’s almost full,” she remarked. “Have you ever swum in the moonlight?”

Vader shook his head. “Never.”

“When the moon’s completely full, I’ll show you,” she said, standing up and playing with one of the ties on her robe. “Do you want to go to bed?”

“Yeah, it has been a long day, do you want to wait? Because it is normal for us to be tired and just want a good night’s rest,” Vader cringed as he glanced at the perfectly made bed. “Honestly, it will be fine. This is just our first day.”

“No,” she said quietly. “I don’t want to wait. But I’m grateful that you asked.”

“We don’t have to force anything, we can let it happen naturally and...and it will still be with your guidelines,” he ranted. “You look pale, are you sure you don’t need to rest?”

“I’m fine.” She sat in his lap, resting her hands on the back of his neck. “Kiss me.”

Vader leaned forward and kissed her lips softly, his hands resting on her knees. Padmé leaned into him, deepening the kiss as one of her hands slipped down his neck to undo the buttons of his shirt, her fingertips tracing his pectoral muscles as she did so.

“Can I call you Anakin tonight?” she whispered, moving her lips to a spot just behind his ear.

His hands caressed her knees softly. “Yes,” he whispered, kissing her cheek. “I would like that.”

“Anakin,” she whispered, pulling open the last button before letting her hand slip further down to find his member, rubbing at it slowly as her other hand pulled him back for another kiss, her tongue slipping inside his mouth.

His moan was muffled by her lips and he increased pressure on her hips, kissing her back but letting her lead, letting her do what she comfortable doing in case it came to a moment where she wanted to stop. The sound of his real name coming from her lips helped intensify the magnitude of the moment they were sharing and suddenly, he realized he didn’t want her to call him anything else. She began to pick up the pace, his length growing hotter and harder as the pressure to release built up.

“Do you want to come?” she asked, dragging her lips down his jaw to press against his jugular.

“Not yet,” he muttered, gasping as she kept increasing the pace. “I can wait, don’t worry,” he brushed his lips on her face.

“Then get me started,” she whispered, her teeth scraping his skin. His hands traveled up her legs and as he reached her covered sex, he pulled the fabric to the side and began teasing her clit with one finger and her entrance with another. His other hand firmly grasped her ass, as he sighed at her lips on his skin. “Yessssssssss,” she hissed. “Just like that, Anakin. Free me.”

Without a big prelude, and encouraged by her words, he inserted his two fingers inside of her and began pumping them in and out at a fast pace as he nipped at her neck, leaving small, angry red marks on his path.

“Slower,” Padmé gasped. “Or do you want me to cum before you? I thought maybe we could do it together,” she suggested.

“Okay,” he slowed down. “Together.”

Padmé resumed her own ministrations, pulling away to look in his eyes. “Are you ready?” she asked, pressing their foreheads together.

Vader groaned and nodded. “Yes,” he gasped. “You?”

“ _Now_.” Their lips crashed together as her release flooded over his fingers. He came all over her hand, his moan muffled by their kissing. Padmé withdrew her hand from his pants, slowly bringing it to her lips. Just for a moment, her tongue darted out, tasting the spill that coated her fingertips. “Still worried about the bed?”

“This is what we’re used to doing,” he muttered, fascinated with her. His hand left her ass to push her hair away from his shoulders. “What we are going to do in bed is going to be different.”

“I wasn’t always used to this,” she pointed out. “I trust you, Anakin.”

With a nod and supporting her, he stood from the chair and Padmé automatically wrapped her lean legs around his waist. “I would never hurt you,” he whispered, kissing her one last time before laying her down on the bed and pulling the laces that held her robe together.

“I know,” she murmured back, her hands running over his shoulders.

He took his time, covering her body with sweet kisses, memorizing the sensitive spots, the ticklish points that he teased more than once just to steal a small giggle, worshipping the scars she wore bravely and made her stronger. “Tell me something?” she whispered.

“Everything,” he replied as his tongue dipped in her belly button.

“Do you regret this?”

Vader raised his head to look at her, confusion in his lustful expression. “What?”

“All the time… waiting for me.”

“I don’t regret anything,” he said and leaned down to kiss her stomach, starting a trail upwards until he was covering her with his body, supporting his weight on his elbows. “I didn’t mind waiting. It wasn’t easy, or comfortable, but I knew that it was worth it.”

“Why?” The way she blurted it out seemed almost accidental.

“You’ll be the first one I tell once I figure it out,” he smiled down at her. Shyly, as if they were two schoolchildren, she smiled back at him, and nodded, giving her consent yet again. He leaned down to kiss her as his hand pulled his sleep pants down and with a little help from the Force, he discarded them to the ground. He nudged her knees apart with his own and deepened the kiss.

Padmé closed her eyes and pulled him down to her, leaving no space between their chests. It was possible to feel each other’s heartbeats, feel the breaths going in and out.

Vader’s hand trailed down her body, before reaching his member and placing it at her entrance, teasing it slowly. He broke the kiss. “Tell me to stop and I will,” he whispered, brushing his lips against hers.

“Don’t,” she said. “Just… slow.”

He nodded and began pushing his member inside of her as his hand held her thigh. He groaned as he realized how tight she was. Clenching. She was used to being tense at this moment. “Relax, breathe,” he instructed, peppering her face with small kisses.

Padmé nodded, her legs going limp against him as her chest rose and fell with her breath. “I’m alright,” she promised. “Keep going.”

Slowly, he began pushing inside of her again, until with the last thrust, he was fully sheathed inside of her. Vader groaned and joined their foreheads. “You feel so good,” he whispered as he pecked her lips.

“Anakin,” she gasped. “Oh…”

He began thrusting into her, gently, letting her get used to his size. Vader moaned with each thrust, his grip on her thigh increasing as he made love to her slowly.

“Do I do anything now?” she whispered.

“Just hold on to me and _feel,_ ” Vader replied in a whisper and kissed her, beginning to increase his thrusting pace. He broke the kiss in favor of her neck. Kissing and nipping. Tasting her skin with his tongue, before sucking at her pulse point.

Padme’s breath began to speed up, her hands gripping his arms as she slowly began to find a rhythm that matched his. Her eyes were still closed, and she was focusing on her breathing, but bit by bit, they opened, staring at him in what could only be described as amazement.

“There you are,” he whispered, as he met her eyes, slowing his pace a little, so his thrusts became deeper and longer, increasing their intensity.

“I’m close,” she gasped.

He picked up the pace again, kissing down her jawline and feeling his own release growing.

“ _Oh!”_ She shrieked, wriggling as she came in a rush.

“ _Padmé…_ ” he whispered. “ _Force…”_ Vader gasped, thrusting into her a couple more times before he stilled, buried in her, spilling. His breath was ragged as he laid his head down on her shoulder. Padmé held him against her, her fingers slipping up into the soft waves of his hair as she sighed happily.

“Thank you.”

Vader raised his head and kissed her softly on the lips. “You don’t have to thank me, love.” The loving nickname escaped his lips without him even realizing it. He kissed her cheek, before pulling out.

“Could I maybe,” she paused, blushing, “be the one on the top next time?” She likewise had not noticed his slip of the tongue. “Please?”

He laughed. “It seems I have created a monster,” he teased. “Yes, it will be fun,” he nodded and began kissing up her jawline until his lips were at her ear. “Maybe I’ll even let you tie me up to the bed later on.”

“I don’t think so.” Her voice was distinctly unamused.

“We’ll discuss that later,” he waved the subject off before the moment they were having got ruined. “How do you feel?”

“Better than I thought I would,” she admitted, cuddling closer to him. “I… liked it.”

Vader smiled and kissed her head. “I’m happy that you did. Next time, it will be better and we can only improve from here.”

“Hmmm,” she said, nodding drowsily and clearly suppressing a yawn.

Using the Force, he covered them with a blanket. “Rest, love,” he whispered, lips against her head.

* * *

 By the last night of their trip, there was not a single room in Varykino where they had not made love at least once. And when they ran out of rooms, Padmé had extended their domain to the lake, fulfilling her promise to take Vader swimming in the moonlight.

The bathing togs had not survived that encounter. Which made it all the more surprising when Padmé had made Threepio start packing a picnic and preparing their boat.

“We haven’t been back to the island,” she explained, noticing Vader’s perplexed expression. “And the sunset will be lovely.”

“What if we stayed for another week?” Vader suggested. “I really don’t want to leave.”

“And leave Shmi and the girls to do everything?” Padmé pointed out, quirking an eyebrow. “That’s awfully cruel of you. If we stay one more week, it’ll turn into two more until we never leave.”

“One more. Five days weren’t enough, Padmé,” he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Then we’ll leave, I promise.”

“You’re afraid, aren’t you?” she asked, leaning into him. “That this will end when we go back.”

He sighed and kissed her neck. “Maybe just a little. There’s just something about Varykino that pushes our troubles away.”

“I know.” She placed her hands over his, swaying slightly. “But it’s a refuge we can return to whenever we wish. Doesn’t one of us have a birthday soon?”

“You do. Anything special you would like?”

“Besides coming back here?”

“Yes,” he chuckled.

“Nothing. Well, maybe a few dresses to replace the ones I _lost_ here _.”_ She giggled.

“Alright, deal. But I can’t promise I won’t destroy those either,” he smirked. “Do you know what would be a good idea when we get back to the Palace?”

“I’m sure you’re about to enlighten me,” Padmé’s hand reached back and rubbed his neck.

“Share a room, much to our staff’s delight,” he smiled against her neck. “What do you think?”

“I think I’d like that,” she agreed, smiling softly. “But how would we choose which room we use?”

“We don’t have to, we can just have our own wing. The Palace is big enough for that,” his hug tightened a little more. “It will be a good way to...officially start the new year of our marriage. I don’t know about you, but I’m happy with where we are right now.”

“I am too,” she admitted, taking the basket from Threepio as he brought it to her. “I never knew marriage could be like this. We should go now if we want to be on the island before sunset.”

“I am just happy that after two long years I was able to convince you that a good union can actually exist and that I’ve always wanted to make you happy,” he confessed with a grin, kissing her cheek before letting her go and taking the picnic basket from her hands. “Let’s go, Angel.”

The boat ride to the island was quiet, but Padmé did keep looking at Vader and smiling as she sat and watched him use the Force to push them along the lake. It was an effortless bit of beauty that made the journey far smoother and easier than rowing.

“Will you hate me if I say Threepio forgot to pack the big blanket?” Padmé asked.

“I should have a word with Threepio, not hate you,” he chuckled as he ducked the boat. “It’s alright. It’s just us and the grass is soft enough.”

“The view’s better from the beach,” she argued, ducking her head.

“But there’s sand,” it was  _almost_ a whine.

“Please?” she asked, looking up at him with wide eyes and a trembling lip. “I’ll make it up to you.”

“It gets every—” Vader quickly realized his voice was turning into a whine and stopped himself. “You know what, _fine_! This is what I do for you. You should feel lucky.”

“Thank you.” Padmé smiled so sweetly and so beautifully that it almost made it worth it. She started unpacking the basket, carefully positioning everything so that it wouldn’t spill. Vader made a face as he sat on the sand and he looked like he could be more comfortable if he were sitting in a river of lava. “There’s Iego angel food cake in here,” she told him, passing one over. “Your favorite, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” he accepted the cake. “Bribing me with food?”

“Maybe. Is it working?”

“Depends,” Vader placed the cake in his mouth and chewed slowly. “What do you want from your husband?”

“For him to forgive me for making him sit on the sand.”

“You are going to need more than these delicious little cakes,” he smirked.

“You’ll get more to eat when we’re back at the villa,” she promised.

Vader chuckled as he tried to relax, ignoring the rough feeling of the sand underneath his palms, and focused only on the sound of the nature around them “Obi-Wan keeps insisting on the myth of the Chosen One.”

“Does it really matter?” she asked, taking a bite of her own cake.

“I don’t know. It does to him. I think it does to my Mom as well,” he confessed and then turned to her. “Does it matter to you?”

“I don’t think it would change anything,” Padmé answered softly. “Even before you knew, you were determined to prove you weren’t like Sheev. And things have been different.”

“Does it bother you that I’m a Sith?” Vader questioned quietly.

“Only when you do something frightening.” She set down the cake and brushed his hair out of his eyes. “I remember _his_ eyes were constantly this sickly, burning yellow, but yours only turn that color sometimes.”

“He used to punish me for not being Sith enough. Mostly because of that.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shrugged. “It’s not your fault. I didn’t mind. I now realize it was because I had my Mom with me that I never truly turned. And I’m glad that after two years, you finally believe I’m different,” he winked at her.

“I had learning of my own to do.”

“I know,” he whispered and silence fell upon them again, as they slowly ate their picnic and the sun began to set. Instead of seeing the sunset, Vader’s eyes were fixed on Padmé’s face. How her hair fell down her back, longer now and the curls he had learned to mess with for the past week. Her eyes watching the sunset and she was calm, peaceful. Angelic. “I love you,” he confessed.

Padmé bit her lip, fingering her hair nervously as she looked away from him. “I-I can’t say it back,” she whispered, seeming ashamed of it.

Watching her nervousness, he shook his head. “No, I know, I know. But I needed to say it and whenever you’re ready to say it back, I’ll be here,” he smiled. “You don’t have to feel pressure to say it back now or for the next couple of times that I’ll say it.”

“Could I,” she managed to look at him again, “Could I maybe call you Ani? Like your mother does? You don’t have to say yes.”

Vader smiled and nodded. “I won’t mind, I’ll actually love it. The two most important women in my life have the exclusive rights of my nickname.”

“Thank you.” She leaned in and brushed her lips against his softly.

“You’re welcome, love,” Vader whispered, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her cheek.


	15. The Vision and the Retreat

“There’s just one more thing that needs to be discussed.” Everyone groaned as they looked at Obi-Wan Kenobi. The talks to bring Mandalore and the Council of Neutral Systems back into the Empire had been dragging on for months as it was, every detail had been painstakingly hammered out, and most of them just wanted it to be over at this point.

“Yes?” Padmé prompted before anyone could object. “What is it, Lord Kenobi?”

“I would like to discuss the future of Force-sensitive children in the galaxy,” Obi-Wan said. “The previous Emperor effectively practiced genocide, both of the Order and of those who were born with enough strength. What few Jedi survived were generally members of Rebel cells.”

“Traitors,” someone muttered.

“What, exactly was our crime besides the desire to survive? Can you recall any true reason the Jedi would need to _all_ be sentenced to death?” Obi-Wan’s accusation silenced nearly everyone at the table.

No one knew that reality better than the Emperor himself. Vader knew where Obi-Wan was coming from. More than one Jedi, allied to a Rebel cell, has died at his hands and he had found deplorable Sidious’ orders of his troops to murder innocent children just because they were strong in the Force.

“I understand what Lord Kenobi is saying and I want everyone to respect his views. While I know innocent Jedi have died, many actually, a lot of the Jedi associated with the Rebels have caused more than enough harm,” Vader said, being or at least trying to be politically correct. “Obviously, I do not wish to move forward with my predecessor’s antics and for the past two years, the death of Force-sensitive people at the hands of the Empire have decreased exponentially. I do see your point, something has to be done about this subject, but perhaps we should first finish the negotiations of Mandalore?” Vader asked, staring at Obi-Wan. “You and I can both discuss a solution after these treaties are signed and your wife is back on her throne in Mandalore.”

“Agreed,” Satine Kryze nodded. “Mandalore is satisfied with the current terms of the treaty, if the Empire is willing, we can sign now.”

Vader nodded, grateful for Satine’s support and that they were  _finally_ closing negotiations. “The Empire is as well, Duchess, meaning we can finally sign the treaty and take care of getting you your system back. Lord Kenobi?”

Two aides gave each couple a copy of the treaty. Satine calmly affixed her signature with one hand, the other being held and kissed by her husband. Padmé squeezed Vader’s hand briefly as he signed their own copy. The aides then swapped the treaties, making sure both parties had a copy. “It’s done,” Shmi said, her smile very maternal despite being there as the Grand Vizier. “And may the galaxy prosper for it.”

“Finally,” Vader whispered to Padmé, leaning in to kiss her cheek sweetly. Although the past four months have been filled with negotiations and they have both been incredibly busy, their marriage was at a good place, and they were happy. “What do you say we celebrate our closed negotiations tonight?”

“Hmm, maybe,” she smiled slightly. “Do I get to pick what we do?”

“Don’t I always let you do what you want?” Vader snickered.

“This would be different,” she insisted, spotting the red-bearded Jedi drawing near them. “But it’ll have to wait, Obi-Wan clearly doesn’t want to waste any time on your next project.”

Vader groaned and dropped his head to her shoulder. “Make him _le_ _ave._ I’m tired of him,” he mumbled annoyed. “I said we would go over it, what doesn’t he understand?”

“I suspect he already has a plan,” Padmé answered. “He wouldn’t be the Great Negotiator if he didn’t.”

“Your Majesties.” Obi-Wan cleared his throat. “If I might?”

The Emperor raised his head from his wife’s shoulder and slowly turned to him. “We spent _four_ months in negotiations, can’t you wait just another day for us to speak about your last demand?”

“Not while there are children who are still living as fugitives,” the Lord Consort of Mandalore replied. “The sooner we reach an agreement, the better.”

Vader winced as he thought about little kids running, afraid and starving. “You live up to your Great Negotiator name. You could have used all the arguments, but you hit me with little kids,” he kissed Padmé’s knuckled before rising. “We should speak alone and leave our wives to celebrate by themselves.”

“Of course. Padmé.” Obi-Wan nodded, and she gave him a soft smile before rising to go join Shmi and Satine. “Your office, perhaps, your majesty?”

“Yes, follow me,” Vader said with a small sigh, before leaving the throne room and making his way towards the office. “Has your son showed signs of being Force-sensitive?”

“He has not. I think that is for the best, though I know he’s disappointed,” Obi-Wan told him.

“Life is easier without the Force. He’ll understand it later in his life,” Vader conceded. “Given that your wife is not Force-sensitive, your son should know it’s alright. Even if I understand the drive to make your father proud.”

“I doubt I could have taught him very well. I was twenty-one when Qui-Gon died, and he’d always said my training was incomplete.” Obi-Wan sighed as they reached Vader’s office. “I’m no master. Regardless of what others call me.”

“In another life and the way my Mother was close with your Master, you would have been stuck with me to teach,” Vader smirked teasingly as the doors slid open for both men to enter the office. “I _almost_ feel sorry for the other you.”

“That would have been a disaster,” Obi-Wan agreed. “But I doubt they would have let me train the Chosen One.”

“The worst thing that could have happened was me falling to the Dark Side,” he joked as he sat in his chair. “Please, Obi-Wan, sit,” he mentioned the chair in front of the desk. “I know you already must have an idea of what you want to do about the Force-sensitive children spread across the Galaxy and I would like to hear it.”

“I think a new Order needs to be established,” the Jedi said bluntly. “Otherwise, we run the risk of a culture being lost forever. Obviously, there would be substantial changes to the methods, but there should be a place where a new generation can learn to use their abilities.”

Vader was quiet at the former Jedi’s idea. He leaned back in his chair and looked deep in thought. “I don’t know about a new Order, Obi-Wan. I understand wanting to help Force-sensitive children and what occurs to me at this moment is a school for everyone. But an Order... I’ve read and done my studies about who the Jedi were and what their code represented and I hated it. I would have been a terrible Jedi, for example. You are allowed to be compassionate, but not feel love? Not have attachments? You realize if the Order was alive today, you wouldn’t be married to Satine or have Korkie, right?” Vader pointed out. Not him. Jedi or not, he imagines himself still married to Padmé. “Their views were very closed-minded, and they were not open to change. The Empire exterminated the Jedi, that’s true. But they were going to destroy themselves with the way they handled the Force. Taking _infants_ from their families, their extraneous rules...that’s not a step I want to take.”

“Nor I. As I said, changes need to be made. That would be one of them.” Obi-Wan produced a datastick. “Perhaps you’d like to look through my ideas for the new Temple?”

“I am surprised you don’t have the Code already rewritten,” Vader muttered and accepted the datastick, connecting it to his datapad.

The plans were extremely detailed. Everything from housing plans for families to different methods and paths for training, including one specifically for _not_ becoming a Jedi. “I’m sure the old Masters would hate it,” Obi-Wan said bluntly. “But I think it is our best course of action. There are parts of the past we should not venerate. Traditions that should be broken.” He observed the schematics Obi-Wan had came up with and he actually liked them. It was an interesting idea, but he still felt uncomfortable.

He did not understand the light side of the Force. He could be dark and he could be neutral. “These seem very interesting, indeed. But you know it goes against my whole education and upbringing, don’t you? I know you have poured a lot of thought and a lot of time into these schematics and clearly, you had families in your mind, which is an extraordinary change from the _old_ ways. Tell me why do I need an Order of the Jedi? Something I _don’t_ trust. ”

“Because what the Jedi once stood for still matters,” Obi-Wan answered. “Peace. Justice. Because I am willing to answer to you. And because a balance must be found through you somehow.”

“Through me?” Vader questioned. “You are still taking that whole _Chosen One_ prophecy too serious, Obi-Wan!”

“My master gave his life for the belief that you were the Chosen One!” The older man was becoming uncharacteristically loud and aggressive. “Your own mother has believed it every day of your life! Why do you continue to close your mind to the possibility, to your own potential?”

“I am close to reaching my twenty-fourth birthday, and for twenty-four years, Obi-Wan, I was raised in the Dark and it has become a part of who I am. A _big_ part. I have learned to accept the Dark Side’s teachings and beliefs and I am here today because I excelled in those,” Vader’s voice rose as well, as he kept his anger controlled. “There is a monster living inside of me and there’s a lot of effort from me to keep it inside because Sidious always taught me to feed it with anger, rage, and selfishness. I don’t think it’s possible for me to learn _another_ way. I am doing my best to be neutral as it is, and you don’t know how complicated it already is!”

“Then show me.”

“What?” Vader asked confused.

“Let me learn from you,” Obi-Wan suggested slowly. “And I will try to teach you in return. Perhaps we will better understand each other that way.”

“You? Learn the Dark Side?” Vader narrowed his eyes. “You’re mad if you think I’ll do it. As soon as you let it in, it taints you and it will change you. I can control it because I spent my whole life learning it and bending it to _my_ will. Who knows what it will do to you? You have a son to think about.”

“Then let me teach you, Anakin. If only for one day. For the sake of the women who love you and the galaxy that you swore to rule and defend. _Then_ make a decision.”

“You use my Mother a lot in your arguments,” Vader grumbled and thought it over. One day. He could try one day. It was not a commitment, it was a trial period. “A day,” he accepted. “Tomorrow.”

“Agreed.” Obi-Wan nodded. “But I wasn’t only talking about your mother.”

Vader looked down to the datapad and turned it off, giving Obi-Wan his datastick back. “You should get your facts straight then,” he said quietly.

The Jedi’s face and signature in the Force were both unreadable. “Foresight is a skill you still need to learn, I see.”

“Foresight?” Vader’s ears perked. “As in...seeing the future?”

“Tomorrow,” was all Obi-Wan said, but he was smiling as if he had a secret.

Vader nodded, holding back his curiosity. “Tomorrow.”

* * *

 "Did it go well?” Padmé asked when Vader rejoined them. “You look pleased.”

“Obi-Wan did not take no for an answer. But we got a good agreement from our talk. I will be training with him tomorrow. Trial run. He thinks he can still teach me the Jedi ways,” Vader explained, sitting close to his wife and kissing the corner of her lips. “He’s a bit delusional if you ask me, but I’ll entertain him. He kind of promised me _foresight_ skills. I could use those.”

Padmé pursed her lips. “Just promise me you won’t abuse it like _he_ did. Please, Ani. On this, we agree. Life should not be ruled by prophecies.”

“Padmé, what signs have I ever given you that I will turn out like _him?_ ” He asked impatiently. “Besides forcing your hand in marriage, of course,” he muttered.

“It’s not that, it’s just… the Dark Side is powerful. I know you fight it, and I’m proud of you for it, but…”

“But you think I can easily give into it and become like my predecessor?” Vader raised his eyebrows. “My Mom and Obi-Wan think like you. They don’t say it, of course, but they do. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be shoving the Chosen One thing down my throat.” A little sigh escaped his lips. “I guess all of you just have to trust me and believe I won’t become a tyrant.”

“I’m sorry.” She clasped his hands and brought them to her lips, kissing them softly. “It’s just that none of us want to lose you and what you’re doing now has never been done before. We have no frame of reference.”

“I know. Just have a little more faith in me. I would rather die than become like _him._ ” Vader stated, tiredly. “I am tired of negotiations today. What celebration did you have in mind for us?” He tucked a stray curl behind her ear and smiled. He knew none of them meant any harm with their insistence, but it was disheartening at times to learn people were expecting you to fail. Vader had never felt this pressure before. To be the Emperor that the Galaxy needed. The son that a brave woman always hoped to have. The husband with whom his wife could begin to fall in love. Even if he doesn't regret saying to Padmé that he loved her, he does wonder if it had been too fast after the consummation of their marriage.

“Meet me in the gardens tonight after everyone leaves and you’ll see,” she told him, smiling again. “I promise you’ll like it.”

“Hmm, I already can’t wait. Then I’ll take my leave now and go make a quick inspection of the troops. Rex kind of needs me to put the shinies in their place. Something we’ve always done with new recruits,” he chuckled and stood up. “I love you, Angel, see you tonight,” he pecked her lips and didn’t linger to hear a response.

* * *

The sun was starting to set when Vader finally made it to his wife’s gardens. The whole of the enclosure was illuminated by candles, and in the center of it all stood Padmé, wearing a dress that resembled a Naboo waterfall, her curls loose around her shoulders and a candle cupped in her hands. The heady scent of the flowers gave the whole scene a dreamlike quality.

“You made it,” she said softly.

He looked around, pleasantly surprised. “You went to a lot of trouble for this surprise, Angel,” he said with a smile, approaching her and bending down to kiss her lips softly. “It’s beautiful. _You’re_ beautiful,” he whispered. “What did I do to deserve all of this?”

“I don’t think you want the whole list,” she answered, moving the candle away so that it wouldn’t burn him. “We’d be here all night.”

“It’s good to be appreciated,” he quipped with a smile. “I love you,” he breathed, joining their foreheads. “I don’t get tired of saying that. You amaze me every day.”

“Hmm,” she nodded, reaching down to his waistline. “Do you trust me?”

“I do…” he said suspiciously, but with a small smile on the corner of his lips.

“Take them off, then,” she commanded, her gown billowing out around her as she began to sink down to her knees in front of him.

“What?” Vader said, shocked as he watched her slowly lower herself to the floor.

“I can do it myself, if you prefer.”

“Do you mean…? You want to…?” He slowly began to undo the belt of his pants. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure,” she nodded, looking up at him with nothing but earnest trust in her eyes. “I can do this. I want to.”

“Then I think you can take them off yourself.” He smirked.

“Then you have to hush,” she scolded, taking hold of the fabric and ripping it rather aggressively before giving his underwear the same treatment. There was a moment where time seemed to freeze as she took in the sight of his member, but then her hand tentatively reached out, stroking along the length with an almost ghost-like touch. Her tongue ran over her lips as she leaned forward, pressing a hesitant kiss to the tip of his cock. “You have to guide me through it,” she told him.

Vader nodded, the sight before him leaving him breathless.He placed his hand in her curls, not making a lot of pressure. “Just open your mouth and take me in.” Padmé nodded and obeyed, her mouth parting further to accommodate him, then let out a slight cough as she gagged on the unfamiliar size of it. He moaned before pulling back until only his tip remained. He caressed her scalp, before rocking forward at a slow pace.

This time, Padmé was more prepared, allowing him in more easily and sucking at his lengthy, tasting the salty tang of his precum. The whimper that rose in her was more one of desire than discomfort. This time he used the hand on her head to gently pull her back.

 _Am I doing it wrong?_ She asked through her mind, the Force carrying the message to him.

Vader moaned in pleasure. “No, I just want to make it easy for you. You’re doing well. Take me again, on your own,” he instructed her softly. Padmé nodded, and slowly began to take him in again until her forehead was brushing the dark curls at the base, her pace increasing and her mouth closing in until he was very tightly sheathed in her throat. Vader moaned, feeling his pleasure build inside of him. “That’s it, baby, suck. You’re doing so well,” he encouraged, hand still tangled in her curls and eyes closed.

Padmé took in a big breath through her nose as she followed his instructions, her hands gripping his hips. “I’m close,” he said, his hold on her hair tightening involuntarily.

“Mmmmph,” she nodded, her head bobbing up and down as her nails dug into his skin. _Do it,_ she thought.

Her though, a small command, combined with the pleasure he was receiving made his orgasm come over him as he rocked his hips back and forth, riding out the waves of pleasure as he spilled himself inside her mouth. Padmé pulled back, resulting in his seed marking her lips as she took large gasps of air. “It went better than I thought,” she admitted, smiling up at him and looking a touch guilty.

“You’re incredible,” he said, amazed.

“I’m glad you liked it.” She reached up and wiped the spill from her lips,

Vader knelt down in front of her and took her face in his hands, kissing her passionately. “I need you, A lot.”

“I’m yours,” she replied, indicating the lacing at the back of the dress.

He kissed her again and his hand traveled down, underneath her skirts, to caress her sex. However, he began using the Force to unlace her dress. Like delicate, ghost fingers undoing it until her dress became looser around her. Padmé practically melted, swooning into him and wrapping her arms around his neck as she deepened their kiss.

Vader pushed the dress away, interrupting his caresses and the kiss, so he could strip her from the garment and discard him haphazardly to the side. “Lay back,” he whispered in her ear, hands caressing the skin of her waist, coming up to gently squeeze her perfectly shaped breasts. As she laid back, he stripped the rest of his clothes before covering her body with his. He pecked her lips teasingly, before beginning his usual worshipping of her body, taking his time fondling her breasts, going lower and leaving a hot trail of wet kisses over her stomach and navel. “Force, I love your body,” he muttered, voice muffled by her skin.

“I need you,” she begged, her legs spreading open to reveal her glistening folds. Lying in the flowers with her hair fanning out in a halo, her beauty surpassed angelic. She was a _goddess._ And even though she didn’t return his love, at least she was his. “Please.”

He moved up to kiss her, settling in between her legs and rocking forward. “How much do you want me, love?” He teased.

“Nnngh!” Padmé wriggled in frustration. “Please! Just fill me, Anakin!”

“As my lady wishes,” he chuckled before sinking into her, muffling her moan with his lips over hers. Padmé shrieked in delight, rolling so that she was on top of him as their hips rocked back and forth.

* * *

“You’re late.” Obi-Wan said.

“I had a late night,” Vader quipped with a smirk as he met Obi-Wan in the training rooms. “But I’m here and I’m ready to begin.”

“Good, then sit.” The Jedi demonstrated by sitting in the middle of the mat, his legs folded and his hands resting in his lap. “I doubt there’s anything I could possibly teach you about sabers and combat, so we will be meditating.”

Vader imitated his position before making a face. “Basically, the one thing I hate the most.”

“It’s how you will learn. Now, breathe and close your eyes.”

He sighed and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and tried to relax his body and his mind. Honestly, he felt stupid.

“Don’t think about it so hard. Don’t think about anything,” Obi-Wan instructed. Vader took another deep breath and tried not to think and let his mind clear and become aware of all of the Force vibrations around him. “At this moment, there is no you. No light or dark, just the Force. Let it wash over you.”

Trying to follow Obi-Wan’s instructions, he focused on what he felt with the Force. The Force was everywhere. He could hear the sound of wave dying on the shore, the birds chirping happily in the trees, the wind rustling the leaves, the sound of wild animals... everything had a presence.

“Now turn your focus forward,” There was an echoing quality to Obi-Wan’s voice as he spoke, as if he were parsecs away. The haze set in a little more, and bit by bit, the Force began to reveal a scene to him.

_“Mommy! Daddy!” a child’s voice, high-pitched but masculine pierces through._

_“Oh, Force, already?” Padmé’s voice whispers in his ear. “You’d think they’d let us sleep in a little.”_

_“Wake up!” It’s a girl’s voice this time, and his body starts to shake. “You promised!”_

_“Come on, love,” Padmé says. He opens his eyes to see a boy with Padmé’s face and his own eyes staring back at him._

_“You promised, Dad.”_

Vader gasped and opened his eyes, shaking his head violently. “What was that?” He snapped, but he didn’t even know if he was speaking with Obi-Wan or not, he just knew the sweet moment he saw couldn’t be true. There were _children_ involved and they were calling him ‘ _Dad_ ’ and Vader knows that he’s not meant to be a parent. And did Padmé call him ‘ _love_?'

“You saw something?” Obi-Wan asked in surprise.

“Yes,” Vader hissed.

“Incredible… normally, that takes much longer,” the Jedi remarked, clearly impressed until he noticed Vader’s expression. “What happened?”

“What happened is that the Force _lied_ to me or showed me something _impossible_ to obtain!” Vader exclaimed. “I don’t need this, Obi-Wan. I don’t need _lies._ ”

“Anakin, nothing is impossible,” Obi-Wan insisted, stroking his beard. “Perhaps this was not the best place, the Light and the Dark are in conflict here. We need somewhere… balanced.”

“Well, until you find the ‘ _best place,’_ this training session is over,” Vader growled and stormed out.

Padmé was in their bedroom, changing out of her casual pink skirt and blouse into a more formal ivory dress with an almost military design on the bodice when Vader came storming in. “What are you doing back here?” she asked, stopping Dormé from closing up the buttons as she moved towards Vader. “I thought you and Obi-Wan were training.”

“Yes, it didn’t last very long,” he said dryly as he picked up his datapad, trying to distract himself with work. “I gave it a shot like I promised, but it didn’t work out.”

“Did you really?”

He turned to her with a blank face. “What? Do you think I’m lying?”

“N-no,” she stammered, stepping back. “I just never thought you were the type to give up this quickly.”

“When something is not meant to be, we should accept it and move on,” he said coldly. “I’ll be in my office,” he announced and grabbing a few pieces of flimsi he had on the bedside table, he left.

He was nearing his office and saw Obi-Wan waiting at the door. “You don’t need to look so worried. Just because our training ended earlier than intended, it does not mean I won’t support your pet project.”

“I wanted to say that you should pack your things. I’m taking you to Ahch-To.”

“Where in the Galaxy is that?” Vader frowned.

“The Unknown Regions. Past the Outer Rim.”

“What exactly are we going to do to the Unknown Regions? It’s basically _nowhere_.”

“I’m going to teach you. Properly.”

Vader sighed. “What if I say _no_?” He asked with raised eyebrows.

“Then you’ll wake up in my ship rather than boarding it of your own accord.”

The younger man narrowed his eyes. “You’re threatening the Emperor.”

“Am I? I have no intention of harming you. That would seem to be a prerequisite for a threat.”

“I guess spending some time away from…” he waved his hand around, “... all of this, wouldn’t be so bad. But I’m warning you, one more vision like I had before and I’ll make sure you _stay_ in Ahch-To for putting me through it.”

“I understand.”

“Let me warn Padmé and my Mom and we’ll be able to leave in a couple of hours,” Vader nodded.

“Of course.”

He hesitated before leaving. “Why do you believe in me so much? _Without_ using the Chosen One excuse.”

“Because you’re more than you seem. The way you are with Padmé proves that.”

“Care to elaborate?” Vader asked curiously.

“Will you deny that you love her?”

“No, and she already knows that,” he replied quietly.

“In all my studies, all the records and holocrons that were rescued from the Temple, nothing was ever described like what you are like with her. And your eyes do not burn with the Dark Side, especially when you are near her.”

“You mean the sickly yellow color?”

“Yes. The ones of Maul haunted me for quite some time after our battle. I remember feeling nothing but rage and bloodlust from him. But you are not like that. I sense a storm. Conflict.”

“ _He_ did too. That was why he was always afraid of not having a truthful heir to the throne. Why my missions were long, dangerous, suicidal even. Why during my training, he would punish me over and over again with Sith lightning,” he leaned against the wall. “I was always conflicted. No one ever could explain to me why and I knew I was as good as dead if I asked.”

“Have you never considered what that might have meant?”

“I would have driven myself mad! It was impossible to obtain answers. Sidious scarred me because my Mom tried to save me and I was five and supposedly his son. What do you think he would have done to me if I began searching for these answers?”

“You’ve had two years since his death. Why haven’t you searched since then?”

Vader shrugged. “I don’t know, I had so much going on. I had two goals. Make sure I earned the Galaxy’s respect and that my decisions would do some damage control and, of course, Padmé…”

“You’re no Sith.”

Vader got quiet and looked at Obi-Wan bewildered. “Excuse me?”

“If you were, you would have followed in his footsteps and been a tyrant without hesitation. You would not have cared what anyone thought of you, so long as you had the power.”

“I’m not a Jedi either, Obi-Wan. So what am I? If I’m not a Sith or a Jedi… do you see the identity crisis here? I don’t need an identity crisis. I have billions of lives in my hands. I have a legion of troops who look for my guidance. I have a wife that I would like very much to keep healing from Sidious’ years of oppression... I can’t... I can’t have an identity crisis.”

“You’re neither. I think the prophecy might have been misinterpreted. That you are not meant to bring balance, are yourself the balance. That is why I need to teach you the ways of the Light.”

Vader stared at Obi-Wan for a few seconds before he slowly nodded. “Okay. Then, right now, my training is his your hands.” He hesitated. “But I am _not_ calling you Master.”


	16. The Reunion and the Ward

“You’re back!”

Vader chuckled, blue eyes shining with happiness as he saw his wife for the first time in months. He opened his arms to receive her in a hug. “Did you miss me?”

“You were gone for five months, of course I missed you,” Padmé scolded as she hugged him back tightly. “Lucky for you, you’re in time for our anniversary next month, I would have killed you if you’d missed it.”

“I know, I was away for too long but it was necessary, love. I think Obi-Wan was pleasantly surprised with how well I’ve learned my Light teachings,” he was beaming. “I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. And I’ve dreamt about you every night,” he whispered, brushing her lips. Padmé blushed, grabbing his hands and pulling him inside.

“Well, your mother and I have been very busy. We’ve been doing comprehensive reform of the slave trade. There’s actually someone here you should meet. She’s in the dining room now.”

“Do we have to start there? While I am incredibly proud of you two for how well you took care of the Empire in my absence, I _did_ miss you a lot and I was wondering if we could have a little alone time before my welcome home feast tonight.”

“Anakin, she’s Force-sensitive,” Padmé said pointedly.

“Oh,” he frowned. “Why is she at the Palace? Hasn’t the shelter of Force-sensitive runaways begun working while I was away? It was one of my last orders before I left.”

“It has, but she’s older than most of them, and she’s just… well, come see for yourself.”

He ran a hand through his longer hair. “Fine, if you insist. I would have liked to shave first, I’m starting to resemble Obi-Wan.”

“I think it makes you look rather mature and distinguished,” she replied, rubbing the stubble.

Vader raised his eyebrows. “I thought you liked my clean shaven look. If I ever guessed resembling a Wookiee would do it for you…” he trailed off with a smirk.

“You do not look like a Wookiee,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I take it you dropped Obi-Wan off at the new Academy I purchased at your request?”

He nodded. “Yes, he wanted to make sure all of his plans are being strictly followed. He says he wants the Academy running in full force in the next two months. Then we’ll be able to start transferring the Force-sensitive individuals from the shelters here, so they can have the proper training.”

“Good, good.” Padmé pushed open the doors of their dining room. “Ahsoka? Are you busy?”

“Nope.” Sitting at the far end of the table, a young Togruta girl, maybe seventeen years old, sat stuffing her face with a very big piece of cake. She had a wiry build that displayed her muscles and scars very prominently. “Who’s he?” she asked, pointing a fork at Vader. He raised his eyebrows at her attitude, while the newfound sensitivity of his training made him assess the girl’s connection with the Force easily.

“This is my _husband_ ,” Padmé said pointedly, and the girl dropped the fork.

“Kriff! Sorry, um, sire.” Her orange face turned a deeper russet as she scrambled to her feet and bowed.

Vader chuckled. “It’s alright, Ahsoka. I do look scruffier than what I intended,” he gave his wife the side eye. “You don’t have to stop eating. Actually, I’ll join you. Obi-Wan was a _terrible_ cook.” He quipped as he joined the young girl at the table. “So, where are you from, Ahsoka?”

“Um, Shili, originally,” she answered. “According to the auctioneers.”

“You were sold into slavery,” he realized quietly as he grabbed an Iego angel cake. “I’m sorry. It couldn’t have been easy. How old were you?”

“Two, I think?” she shrugged. “I don’t remember, really.”

“Hmm. When did you realize you had Force powers?” Vader asked. “I can tell you that my Mom has been having issued with me since I was one,” he winked, trying to make her relax. He pushed the plate of baked goods in her direction. “Eat. You don’t have to stop stuffing your face because of me.”

“I’m pretty sure I was six,” she answered, resuming her snacking in between sentences. “I made a hut on Kadavo explode when they sold one of my friends. After that, they reworked my slave-chip to shock me if I did something like that again. It didn’t come out of me until the Empire raids came around to free us all.”

“Usually, when a child stops nurturing the Force, the power becomes dormant and it’s very hard to reach into it again, but you’re different,” Vader pointed out. “I can still feel the Force sizzling around you. I’m guessing a slave-chip wasn’t enough to stop you from using it here and there?” He questioned.

“Just a little. I’d help my friends get to sleep at night,” she admitted. “They just didn’t want me to have any more _outbursts.”_ Padmé sat in the far chair, biting her lip slightly. She’d clearly heard this story already. “We all came here to meet the Empress— I mean, Padmé, and she said I should stay here instead of going to the shelters with everyone else.”

Vader turned to shot his wife a curious look. “I see.”

“I thought you two might have some common ground,” Padmé said, shrugging. “She was _very_ cheeky while she was getting looked over by the doctors and having her chip removed.”

He snorted. “I could tell from her attitude at meeting me,” he smirked. “You’re snippy, little one, aren’t you?”

“I’m eighteen!” she said defensively. “That’s not _that_ little.”

Vader scoffed. “Practically a baby,” he teased.

“I thought maybe she could stay with us and you could teach her. But we could also ask Obi-Wan to take her, if you prefer,” Padmé suggested, rolling her eyes.

The Emperor looked between the eighteen-year-old and his wife. “No, Obi-Wan already has a kid to raise. Another snarky little thing would make him go grey. You can stay, Ahsoka, I do feel a lot of potential in you. Maybe tomorrow, we can do a trial to see how your grasp of the Force is?”

“Sure thing.”

“Ever picked up a lightsaber?”

“Yeah, there are a lot of those in the Zygerrian Slave Empire and the Outer Rim,” she said sarcastically.

“Don’t get snippy with me, little one,” he narrowed his eyes.

“You weren’t much better at that age,” Shmi reminded him as she swept into the room. “Welcome home.”

Vader turned to his Mother with a grin, standing up to hug her tightly. “I missed you. Please don’t disrespect me in front of the kid,” he said with a small groan.

“Too late, we already showed her the baby holos,” Padmé teased. “Now we _have_ to keep her.”

“I guess it will be fun,” Vader said, pulling back from his hug to his Mom. “Thank you, by the way,” he whispered to Shmi. “For never letting me fall completely in the dark. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to receive Obi-Wan’s teachings.”

“Of course.” Shmi beamed at him. “I’m so proud of you.”

He kissed her forehead. “Are you settled in, Ahsoka?” He turned back to the Togruta teenager.

“Yeah, they gave me a really nice room.”

“Good. Then I’ll leave you to eat the rest of the cakes,” he reached out and grabbed an Iego Angel cake and stuffed it into his mouth. He motioned Padmé with one hand. “I have to unpack,” he said. “Help me?”

“Is _unpack_ the new word for sex?” Ahsoka quipped boldly. Padmé turned a shade of scarlet that clashed with the pink dress she was wearing.

He opened and closed his mouth. Chuckling, he realized what was drawing him to the young woman. She was like him in many ways. “I’ll see you at the feast tonight, _Snips._ ” Vader shook his head amused and intertwined his fingers with Padmé’s. 

“Provided you behave yourself!” Padmé added as Vader pulled her out of the room. “I am so sorry, I had no idea she’d be like that.”

“I like her,” he said with a smile and raised their joined hands to his lips, kissing her knuckles. “She has spirit. And attitude. Why were you so taken with her?”

“I don’t know, something about her just appealed to me,” she answered. “And I think Rex liked her too, he vouched for her very enthusiastically.”

At that Vader laughed. “Oh, don’t tell me Rex has a crush. But I can see why you like her. Do you actually think I can train her? I just got back from five months of intense Light training myself, do you think I can handle the responsibility of a young girl’s training?”

“If nothing else, you could start on the saber forms and the neutral parts of it,” she pointed out. “Things like lifting rocks.”

“You really want her to stay, don’t you?” He asked softly.

“It’s not a problem, is it?” Padmé asked worriedly.

“No,” he replied. “I would like to speak with Obi-Wan before diving into her training. You know, if she is staying with us, we can always make her our ward. Would that make you happy?”

“I’m glad you’re suggesting it... Because I kind of already did it,” she admitted, smiling sheepishly. “It was an impulse decision, but I just _felt_ it was what was right.”

Vader looked at her, shocked. If he had been gone for a few more weeks, Padmé would have probably completed the adoption process. “I wonder what will you do next time I’m gone for such a long period of time,” he shook his head.

“Well, then maybe you should make sure you don’t find out.”

They entered their bedroom, and Vader quickly pushed her against the wall, kissing her passionately and pouring every ounce of his love and devotion into it. It had been five long months. He thought only of her and the aching in his heart from not being around her was only easing now. “I love you so much. I _missed_ you so much.” Padmé gasped, but reciprocated the kiss and started tugging away the simple robes he’d been wearing for the last five months.

“Get these off, I’ll be right back.”

He reluctantly pulled away and began undressing, sitting at the end of the bed in only his briefs, waiting for her. “Padmé, it’s been five months,” he whined, falling backward on the bed.

“Just a moment!” She emerged from the fresher wearing a sleeveless dress that was practically see-through and decorated with white gems, slit up the center of the skirt and along the sides. One of the dresses he’d had commissioned for her before she’d taken charge of her own wardrobe. “You never got to see me in this, I thought you might like it now.”

His mouth went dry as his eyes ran over her body. “I must have been crazy when I asked that for you. I could never share that much of you with the Galaxy,” he said. “You look ravishing.”

“Just a little crazy,” she agreed, sitting on his lap and cupping his neck with her hands. “But now you get to rip it off me.” Padmé did not need to tell him twice as his hands came to the middle of the dress and he easily tore the material away from her body, mouth latching on to her neck as he sucked at her pulse point. “Oh, Ani… missed you. Need you inside me...”

He flipped them, so he could be on top of her. “You’re so beautiful,” he said kissing down her neck. “And you’re mine,” he mumbled sweetly, as he dragged his lips up to meet hers. “I love you.”

“I know,” she murmured, running her hands through his hair as her legs locked around his waist.

Vader nodded and pecked her lips again, removing his briefs so there were no barriers between them. He sheathed himself inside of her in one thrust, moaning as her warmth embraced him. “ _Force,_ I missed this.”

She didn’t say anything in response, just bit down on his shoulder as she rocked against him, bringing both of them closer to their climax. They found their rhythm again, as he hid her face in the curve of her neck, thrusting into her, feeling his orgasm build. Padmé came first in a wordless shriek of delight before kissing his lips again even more aggressively. With a few more, deep thrusts he came inside of her, and his grunt was swallowed by her kiss as he remained inside of her, their bodies intertwined, close and without knowing where one ended and the other began.

“Never go away that long again,” she whispered against his lips. “I hate it.”

“I hate it too,” he pecked her lips. “I’ll try to always be close to you.”

“We’re going to need to put clothes back on soon,” she reminded him. “Your banquet’s in a few hours.”

“We still have a few hours,” Vader whispered. “Just the two of us.”

“You’re depraved,” she teased. “Besides, don’t you need to _unpack_?”

“I just did,” he replied cheekily.

“You and Ahsoka really are perfect for each other,” she sighed, shaking her head. He let out a little chuckle. “Kiss me again, you idiot.”

* * *

 “So you’ve taken on a Padawan?”

“What? Padawan?” Vader, now freshly shaved and with more appropriate clothes for an Emperor, turned to Obi-Wan, confused.

“The Togruta girl you and Padmé announced as your ward during the speeches. I can feel her strength,” the Jedi explained. “I must admit, I’m pleasantly surprised. I didn’t expect you to be ready for that for quite some time.”

“Padmé took her under our wing and when I met her, it was just a connection I couldn’t deny. I never trained anyone, so I don’t know how is it going to be with her, I just hope I make the right decisions with Ahsoka. She has a lot of potential.”

“I think you’d make a very good teacher. And she seems rather ideally suited to be your Padawan, all things considered.”

Vader took a sip of his wine and from afar, watched his wife and their new ward speak in an enthusiastic manner. “She does have something special about her. Padmé adores her, look at them!” As they laughed, the maternal way Padmé adjusted Ahsoka’s clothes made his mind go back, five months ago, when he had the first _vision_ of the Force. She would be a great Mom if she would open herself up to the idea. “Do you think I can train another Force-sensitive so soon after I barely ended my training with you?”

“If you start her with some of the simpler exercises and drills, it should be fine,” Obi-Wan said reassuringly. “Sometimes, teaching can be a learning experience for both student and master.”

“I hope I don’t screw up,” Vader sighed. “How are Satine and Korkie? Happy to have you back?”

“Not thrilled that I’m splitting my time between them and here, now that the Academy is moving forward,” Obi-Wan admitted. “But we’re finding a compromise. That’s at least half of what having a family is, honestly.”

“It can’t be easy, Obi-Wan, to be separated from them. Why don’t you tell them to come here and spend a while?” Vader suggested. “I’m sure Korkie would love to spend some time with you, seeing the Academy and maybe he would get along well with Ahsoka.”

“Satine might object. She wanted to start teaching him about governing,” Obi-Wan sighed. “This would be easier if you and I were not the only Force users involved in this new Order. But I don’t know where we could find other Masters, and even if we did, there is no guarantee that they would be willing to join this endeavor. The only reason I…” he stopped suddenly, looking uncomfortable.

“Yes, Obi-Wan?” Vader prompted. “If you have something to say, you can say it.”

“You would not believe me.”

“I spent five months alone in that island with you. It has to mean something, right? Can you just say it?”

“I did this because my master told me to after you and I met.”

“Your... _dead_ Master?” Vader narrowed his eyes.

“Yes.” Obi-Wan nodded. “In death, he found a greater mastery of the Force. What did you think I was doing whenever I left you alone? Reading the Jedi texts?”

“It wouldn’t have been surprising,” Vader muttered. “You know, Obi-Wan, you should go home and spend some quality time with your family. I bet your son can’t remember how you look like and the Academy won’t be ready for a couple of months,” he said. “Your duty is done, Obi-Wan. You already did your part.”

“That’s not for either of us to decide, Anakin,” Obi-Wan replied cryptically. “I’ll be back in a month to see how things are proceeding.”

“You have a family and you should spend more time with them,” Vader insisted. “You spent five months away. I am on the right path and I will take care of the Academy in your absence,” he said distancing himself. “I’m sure you’ve made your Master proud, Obi-Wan, and that is all that matters.”

Obi-Wan sighed, clearly frustrated. “I will be in touch with you, then. Goodnight.” He bowed and left without another word.

“Is everything alright?” Padmé asked, approaching with Ahsoka in tow. “Where is Obi-Wan going?”

Vader shrugged, annoyed. “Home. He has a family to take care of. After all, he already did what he was told here. He doesn't need to stay anymore,” since his glass was empty, he grabbed another one from a passing serving droid. “Having fun, Ahsoka?” He turned to the young Togruta, clearly not wanting to speak about Obi-Wan anymore, taking a big sip of his wine. “Tomorrow we’ll start your training, you better get ready.”

“Do I get a laser sword?”

He narrowed his eyes. “ _Lightsaber_ , Ahsoka. No, not from the beginning. I'm going to request a practicing saber for our classes and once you're ready, we'll have to get you a kyber crystal before you can make your hilt.”

“Aw,” she huffed, looking disappointed. “But they look so cool.”

“Yes, but you’re still a _youngling,_ Snips,” he teased her. “You need to learn the ropes before I can trust you with a real weapon. Do you want to watch the training, Padmé?”

“I wish I could, but Court is my priority for now,” she said, fussing with Ashoka’s dress. “Someone has to run the Empire while you’re changing everything else.”

“I know, the Empire must think I just gave it up for you to run while I frolic around with Force-sensitive users and deny my responsibilities,” he snickered. “Oh well, guess you’ll have to see my new lightsaber another time,” Vader plucked the hilt from his belt and twirled it in his hands. “You didn’t even notice it was different.”

Ahsoka extended her hand towards it and Vader, using the Force, slapped it away. “That was cool,” her eyes widened and Vader winked at her.

“Children,” Padmé huffed, shaking her head. “If you wanted me to notice the lightsaber, you should have mentioned it while we were unpacking. I was more focused on your clothes.” Their ward snickered at the double entendre. “Do I need to send you to bed?”

Ahsoka tried but failed to fight her smile. “No, Padmé, I’m done with innuendos. For now. I’ll see if I can make Shmi some company and leave you two lovebirds alone. I want my _Master_ in a good mood tomorrow so he takes it easy on me,” she grinned at Vader before turning on her heel and skipping towards Shmi.

“She’s _something,_ I tell you, I don’t know what kind of trouble you just got us in!” Vader laughed and wrapped one arm around his wife’s waist. “But I’ve been watching you two. You’re amazing with her.”

“It just sort of comes to me,” she admitted. “She’s got a good heart. I think she could be a wonderful Jedi. Assuming that name is sticking around? Or are you calling them something else?”

The comment about her being a fantastic mother was at the tip of his tongue, but he decided not to express it. It would ruin her good mood and he was so glad about the happiness she radiated, he didn’t want to screw it up by saying the wrong thing. “Yes, you do have the magical touch. If she starts being bratty, I’ll just send her your way,” he kissed her temple. “I think Jedi are the safest choice. Even after so long, the people of the Galaxy still trust them. By reinstating a new Order, I’m improving my own reign as an Emperor, so it’s a win for Obi-Wan and another for me. We had the time to talk and until I am comfortable, Obi-Wan will respond to me. We’ll see, with time, if I will feel at ease of letting a single Council act on its own.”

“Mmm,” she hummed, placing her hands on his shoulders. “Enough business talk for tonight. I want you to dance with me before whisking me off my feet so we can retire for the evening.”

“It will be my absolute pleasure,” he smiled down at her and finishing off his wine, he left the glass on a nearby table and took her hand, leading her to the dance floor and spinning her around, before bringing her to his arms. “You look beautiful,” he complimented as they began to sway to the sound of the orchestra.

“Oh, this?” She tugged at the golden brown fabric of her skirt with an impish smile. “Just something I had in my wardrobe. It’s very easy to tear.”

“My favorite,” he said appreciatively.

“Your eyes are making me miss Varykino. They look like the lake right now,” she whispered as she spun under his arm. “It’s intoxicating.”

“Maybe we should keep our tradition alive and go back to Varykino to celebrate our marriage?” He gave her a genuine smile, as his hand on her waist tightened, pushing her closer to his body.

“We have meetings the days before and after that we can’t get out of,” she pointed out with a groan. “Unless you want to upset Kamino and the Banking Clan?”

Vader sighed. “No. I was already away for five months and I guess we can’t leave so soon after that,” he muttered. “There’s also a chance that I might need to leave with the 501st for the Outer Rim.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Some regions are not reacting very well to our new treaties and bills that have been passed. They’re rebelling. We’re just going to try and control them, find an even ground. But I don’t want another Chommel incident, so I’m taking my Battalion with me,” he explained. “I hate that I have to leave you again. But it won’t be for very long this time.”

“Slavers.” Padmé didn’t bother hiding the scowl.”I should have guessed.”

“Not everything can be perfect,” Vader said as he twirled her again. “It’s not as bad as it was when I took the reigns of the Empire. We had a new bloodbath every week and it took a lot of time, and a lot of lives from my troops to straighten them out. There’s always someone that will be against us.”

“Lovely.” Padmé grimaced. “Do you know when you’d be leaving?”

“Perks of the job, I guess,” Vader said before biting his lower lip. “A week. Two, tops. I might stay away for a month. Rex briefed me shortly before the feast. I could put it off, but I don’t want more innocent lives wasted. The ones that end up suffering are the defenseless slaves. Children. Young ones like Ahsoka. I...I need to go.”

“I know, I know,” she sighed, hands curling around his jacket lapels. “I suppose the galaxy is very lucky to have a fearless hero like you, Anakin Skywalker.”

“The Hero with no Fear,” he joked, joining their foreheads. “You’re doing such an amazing job as the Empress. I feel so confident leaving everything in your hands. I’m proud of you, love, I really am.” Vader kissed her forehead chastely. “I love you.”

“Take me to bed,” was all she said in reply.

Vader nodded and took her hand. He signaled his Mom and she nodded, understanding that they were leaving and retiring for the night. There was the faint sound of credits clinking together as they changed hands.

“Parasites,” Padmé grumbled.

“What?” Vader asked turning to look over at her. “Did I miss something?”

“They were betting when we’d leave. I used to see it all the time at other state events.”

He rolled his eyes. “Look at it this way, we _actually_ have a sex life and they all live vicariously through us.”

“They still consider me your stepmother,” Padmé said. “There’s a whole series of channels on the HoloNet just for speculating about what depraved things we do.”

“That’s just…” He cringed. “Wrong. I guess I’ll need to fix that before I leave. It’s about time the Galaxy knows the truth. I’ll see it with my Mom and the advisors tomorrow.”

“Ani, that could open up a whole new set of problems. People will claim you have no right to the throne.” Padmé gripped his arms. “It doesn’t matter what they think about our sex lives. They’re not important. What we do _is_.” And then she kissed him forcefully, pushing him up against the wall.

Vader was surprised but was fast to reciprocate, kiss her just as hard, arms wrapping themselves around her slender waist. “If we don't get to our bedroom fast, I will just take you against the wall and won't care who sees us,” he said breathlessly, as their kiss ended.

“You’re tempting me,” she muttered, pressing her lips to his neck. “Kriff, let this be on the HoloNet for all I care. Maybe then, they’ll stop paying so much attention. Unless you prefer being the only man in the galaxy who knows what I look like when I come?”

“Yes, I would like to remain the only one,” he snarled possessively, biting down on the exposed skin of her shoulder. Vader pushed her away and took her hand, tugging her behind him, making her have to jog to keep up with his long legs. Her skirts tore in the effort to keep pace.

“Anakin!”

“What?” They were close to their wing and he stopped to look at her, blue eyes darkened with lust. Vader noticed her ripped skirts and shrugged. “It just makes my job that much easier.”

“Yes, but I’m not wearing anything underneath!” she whispered.

His mouth opened and his eyes darkened further. “You _really_ missed me, didn't you, love?” He bit his lower lip as he tugged her forward to kiss her, when something ruined the moment.

“Master Vader, Miss Padme, could I assist you with anything?” Threepio asked, wobbling their way, Artoo hot on his heels. He beeped something and Threepio gasped, scandalized. “Language, Artoo, what kind of manners will you teach young miss Ahsoka?”

Vader groaned in frustration. “Threepio, we are going to talk about your horrible timing.”

“I do apologize, sir—”

“Go away, Threepio,” Padmé growled, putting her arms around Vader’s neck and slipping her legs through her torn skirts to hop up and hook them around her husband’s waist. Vader supported her backside with his arms. “We’re busy.”

“Oh, my,” the protocol droid fretted as Artoo whistled cheekily and they headed away. “Artoo-Deetoo, that is hardly proper!” Artoo than bumped into Threepio’s legs, beeping. “I am going, no need to bump into me!” The protocol droid hurried his step and Vader shook his head.

“They are worse than children,” he muttered as he delighted himself in leaving little angry red marks over his wife’s neck. “I love how you’re not wearing anything just for me.”

The rest of the walk towards their bedroom was smooth thanks for Vader’s Force-sensitivity that stopped them from bumping into the furniture, mostly due to their heavy kissing. From time to time, they would just stop against a wall and heavily consider having sex against it. As they, finally, reached their bedroom, Vader threw her on the bed, grinning as her body bounced in the mattress. He grabbed the skirts and with a strong tug, ripped the rest of the fabric apart, leaving the shreds at his feet. Moving to the corset, he paid it the same treatment, making the small little buttons on the back fly everywhere!

“Ani,” Padmé gasped, pulling him down on top of her. “Force, yes,” Her nails tore away his shirt and jacket, relegating them to the same fate as her ruined dress. “Need you, need you now!”

He claimed her lips, kissing her wildly. A desperation of being even closer to her, of loving her. His hand were everywhere on her body. Caressing, drawing invisible drawings on her smooth skin. He pulled back long enough to strip the rest of his clothes and then hesitated, looking down at her bare body but nothing but pure adoration and lust, his hands traveling over her calves, to her knees, opening her legs and trailing down the inside of her thighs.

Padmé didn’t want to waste that kind of time, apparently, as she wriggled downwards, aligning his cock with her folds before guiding him in with one fluid upward thrust of her hips. Her walls were already slick with need, making his entrance smooth and effortless. “ _Yes_ ,” she hissed, rocking back and forth with a satisfied smirk.

“I created an insatiable monster,” he mumbled, accompanied with a groan as his warmth enveloped him effortlessly and his wife began to eagerly rock against him. “I vote we spend the rest of the days until I leave, in this bed, sans clothes. I have missed you,” Vader whispered sweetly, dropping feather like kisses all around her face as he slowly began to match her pace.

“I’ll allow it,” she muttered, holding him tightly as she rolled them over so that she was on top. “You weren’t the only one suffering these last five months.”

“Prove it,” he whispered, leaning upwards to give her a searing kiss.


	17. The Revelation and the Nightmare

“Padmé?”

“Everything’s fine.”

“Really?” Sabé asked, her shadow falling over her mistress from the fresher door. “Because you just bolted out of court and straight here without a word of warning.”

“I didn’t want the delegation of Onderon to see this,” Padmé answered seconds before another wave of nausea hit her. Sabé sighed.

“I’ll have Saché call an Emdee—”

“No Emdees!” Despite the vomit, Padmé’s voice was clear and strong on those two panicked words. Sabé sighed, knowing Padmé would not budge on the subject.

“Fine, no Emdees, we’ll get a sentient physician. But you’re going to bed until we can figure out what’s going on.”

Padmé pursed her lips and nodded as her handmaiden helped her stand. She didn’t really need a physician, she knew exactly what was going on. Headaches, nausea, aching breasts… For eight years, Sheev had shown delight at even the slightest hint of such things, as they were all symptoms of pregnancy.

If she weren’t still terrified of needles, she would have asked for a home blood test instead, but at the same time, she didn’t need it.

This was her own fault. She’d been so delighted by Anakin’s return two months ago that she’d forgotten about drinking her usual contraceptives. And just as she’d feared, eight years of fertility supplements had finally proven effective.

She couldn’t even hear Sabé as they reached the Imperial suite and Rabé and Dormé took charge of her while Saché and Yané were sent off on some errand.

Padmé was mutely changed out of her silver and white spectra-dyed court dress and into a nightgown without much fuss while someone closed the shades and everyone left her alone to get some preemptive rest.

And whether it was the storm of old anxieties and fears swarming inside her, or simply another bout of nausea, she felt so exhausted that her eyes closed immediately.

Sleep didn’t follow. She was terrified of what lay in her dreams— no! No, she couldn’t think like that.

Anakin was not like Sheev. He didn’t need an heir, there was no pressure—

But would the fact that she was pregnant now change that?

Would he expect her to love him?

Even after three years, she didn’t know if she felt that way. She still didn’t remember what love felt like. And the worst part was that she _wanted_ to. Didn’t he deserve it? After everything? Why couldn’t she just love him? Why did there have to be this wall inside of her?

This was the one thing she always refused to speak to her counselor about. She didn’t want to be told she was not ready to hear.

The door opened and Eirtaé entered with the court physician. “Not feeling well, your majesty?” he asked kindly.

“Eirtaé, leave us,” Padmé ordered. Her chief of staff looked confused but nodded. Once they were alone, Padmé looked at the doctor. “What I tell you is classified. To the point where not even my husband is to know. Do you understand?”

“My lady—”

“That’s an order, Doctor. Or do you want to seek employment elsewhere?”

“No, my lady.” He swallowed nervously. “What is it?”

“I suspect I’m pregnant. I want a non-invasive test.”

“A blood test would be faster, your majesty.”

“No needles.”

“Alright, my lady.”

“And I want the name of a specialist who can be trusted to be discreet.”

“Of course. I’ll be back in a few moments with the test. In the meantime, your majesty, drink some water to avoid dehydration after vomiting.”

Padmé made a face at being lectured like a child, but got out of bed and filled a glass with water from the sink in the fresher. There was a knock at the door and she opened it to see the physician holding a kit out to her.

“You will need to, er—”

“I know how they work.” She took the box from him and followed the standard procedure. She’d begged for these when she had been married to Sheev, but he’d always insisted on blood testing. The process of urinating on a stick was far less unpleasant. Setting the test aside, she washed her hands and used a towel to carry it back out to the doctor. “Well?”

He took it from her, examining the glyphs. “Congratulations, my lady.”

“Remember what I said. No one is to know except the specialist you send me. Not even the Emperor.”

The doctor looked distinctly uncomfortable. “If he asks me, I can’t lie, my lady.”

“Then don’t give him any reason to ask you!” Padmé snapped. “You can go now, just be certain to get me the recommendation by the end of today. And remember, discretion is of the utmost importance.”

“Yes, ma’am. In the meantime, your handmaidens had the right idea. You should get some rest.”

* * *

 

_So you’ve finally done it, you traitorous little whore.”_

_“No!” This was a nightmare. Sidious was dead. Sheev Palpatine was dead, Padmé knew that. And yet he is advancing on her with his terrible burning eyes gleaming. Padmé scrambles to get away only to realize she is chained to his bed once again; dressed in the leather cage that had held her every night._

_A whore kept in her proper place._

_“Anakin, help me!” she screams, but Palpatine only laughs, drawing closer as her belly starts to swell under his outstretched hand until it is practically its own planet._

_“The heirs to the galaxy,” he croaks, his wrinkled features contorting in fury as his hand grazes her skin. “And you provide them to_ **_Vader_ ** _? That simply won’t do, my pet.”_

_The Sith lightning comes without warning. She screams as her stomach deflates as quickly as it grew only moments before, and she feels blood trickling out, staining her thighs. “Please…”_

_“Let’s try again, shall we?” She knows what comes next and even as she screams, he thrusts himself into her still bleeding folds harshly and without mercy._

“Padmé, wake up!”

Vader sat by the side of the bed, next to her, and was past _gently_ shaking her. Her screams were terrifying him and he had arrived early to surprise her, and was confronted by her handmaidens' worried expressions and then the _screams_ he could hear at the end of the hallway.

“Wake up, Padme, it's me, _wake up_ !” What could have possibly have happened in four weeks? Her nightmares have been gone for almost two years and to see her tortured like this again, was scaring him and shaking him down to his core. “Please, _please_ , love. I'm home. I'm here. Wake up.”

“No!” She screamed one last time before snapping upright, both her hair and her eyes wild. He chest heaved rapidly as she realized she was no longer in her nightmare. “Oh, _Ani.”_

He didn’t waste another second, bringing her into his embrace, rubbing soothing circles on her back and caressing her hair. “Thank the Force, Padmé! You weren’t waking up,” Vader said breathlessly, his heart racing as he feared for what had her nightmare had been about. “Are you alright, sweetheart?”

“Sheev— back—” She shook her head, tears flowing as she pressed her face into his chest. “Killed— don’t make me.”

Vader’s worried increased, as he pulled back to look at her. He cradled her face in his hands. “He’s dead,” he said, very calmly and very _final._ “He will never, _ever_ hurt you again and this... _this_ was just a nightmare. I don’t why, maybe you were upset or passed through something that made you think about him, but I promise you, Padmé, he’s gone. He won’t hurt you. Never again. We’re safe, love, _safe._ ”

Padmé only sobbed in reply. Vader frowned worriedly. “Do you want to tell me what happened?” He asked softly, fearing that a single, horrible nightmare and put them back a year or two ago. Sidious was dead, but he still managed to ruin their happiness from beyond the grave.

“No!” She said it so emphatically that it was almost angry. Her signature in the Force suddenly felt far more defensive.

Vader blinked, pulling back a bit more. “I understand,” he whispered, a part of him aching that she still didn’t trust him completely. They have made incredible progress together, but there was still such a long way to go. Vader forgot that sometimes. He liked to believe in his own little bubble where he thought they were _happy_ together, like a _normal_ couple. “What do you need?”

“Hold me,” she said immediately. “Stay.”

He nodded. “I could use a nap after the bumpy trip I had,” he tried a joke as he stripped from his traveling gear, down to just a shirt and his briefs. “Make room for me, you’re hogging the covers,” Vader smiled at her.

She blushed, moving some of the blankets over, but keeping most of them wrapped tightly around her. “I didn’t expect you back for another two weeks.”

Vader shrugged, slipping into the bed. “Most of the conflicts were resolved, and I left Cody behind with a handful of troops to solve the smaller ones. I missed you and besides, I feel like I spent most of the year _away_ and I hate that feeling. I was getting homesick.”

“It’s not your fault. The galaxy needs its Emperor. And you do a good job,” she mumbled, picking up the brush from her bedside table and running it through her wild hair.

“Yes, but the military issues sometimes take too much of my time. I like it, it spices up the work I have, but I need someone to take over some of the load,” Vader said as he pulled a curl and watched it bounce with an amused grin. “I think Ahsoka will be a good fit, once she received the proper training. I might nominate her as the Commander of the troops, second only to me.”

“She’ll be delighted. Especially if it means she gets a proper saber.” Padmé smiled softly, clearly glad to be changing the subject. “The Academy has its opening ceremony in three weeks, Obi-Wan sent a comm to say he was picking up a few more students. There are about twenty total at this point.”

“She will get a proper saber when I trust her not to stab herself in the eye with it,” Vader rolled his eyes as he scooted closer and placed his hands on her shoulders, starting to massage them. “I don’t know how he will do it, honestly. Be far away from home for so long. I am going crazy by being away from you, I can’t imagine him. With a child and everything,” he mused. “Not to speak about the fact that he only trained me because he wanted to impress his deceased Master,” he sighed, bitterly.

“I think it’s more a sense of duty,” Padmé corrected, looking away slightly at the mention of a child. “The Jedi were always very fixated on that. Obi-Wan might have started this out of a feeling of obligation, but I think he’s become rather fond of you.”

“Really? Because it kind of makes me feel like an obligation and to feel like a burden, I will happily skip it. I felt like one for two decades,” Vader sighed. “He’s not that bad either. But sometimes his tunnel vision annoys me. Obi-Wan can be very stuck in his ways and that is the one thing I fear the most about a new Order of the Jedi. But I don’t want to speak about him anymore,” he kissed the curve of her neck. “Better, my love?” Vader asked, as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

She nodded, setting down the brush and cuddling closer. “He’s agreed to answer to you. You can make him change what you don’t like. Maybe you should try to talk to Qui-Gon yourself. It could give you a better idea of what’s going on.”

“I have no idea how to speak with the dead, Padmé, I haven’t reached _that_ level,” he snorted. “I _do_ feel tired, though. Do you want to sleep? I’ll hold you and I promise you won’t be bothered by unwanted nightmares,” he kissed her temple.

“Yes,” Padmé sighed, pressing her head against his chest. “I need rest… We both do.”

* * *

 

“Master!” Ahsoka ran into his office, startling Vader to the point where he dropped his datapad on top of Artoo that beeped in protest, her entire face a darker color than usual. “It’s Padmé, she fainted in the Senate!”

Even before she finished the sentence, he was out of the door and rushing towards Padmé’s office in the Senate building. He doesn’t remember entering the speeder or arriving at the rotunda. People got out of his way voluntarily and he knows his face was probably way too stern for anyone to disturb him.

Barging in the office, not caring and too worried to knock, he rushed to his pale wife’s side. “Hey you,” he said, voice softer than his demeanor. “Stop scaring me like this. First the nightmares, then fainting…” he turned to Eirtaé. “What’s wrong with her? Is she sick? Have you called the physician?” His tone was much more brusque towards the blonde Chief of Staff.

“She was already here,” Eirtaé answered, her lips pressed into a thin line.  She was clearly just as perturbed as Vader was. “I’ve never met her before, but Padmé wouldn’t see her unless they were alone. We had to wait outside.”

“I’m fine,” Padmé muttered. “I just didn’t eat enough for breakfast.” As she had a few nights before she was hugging her stomach in what could have been mistaken for folded arms, but Vader could feel the change in her Force presence again. And it seemed stronger than normal, which didn’t line up with her being sick.

His eyes narrowed. “Leave us alone. Now,” he said, firmly, eyes fixed on Padmé’s pale face. She would have told him the truth right away, wouldn’t she? It would make sense. After the eight-year-long nightmare she passed with Sidious because of creating an heir, if she was carrying, those poisoned memories would have come up and it would explain the incessant nightmares. How she has been more defensive. Putting up her walls again. He could try to understand pushing her handmaidens away, but why him?

Eirtaé glance between husband and wife. Clearly, she was not happy about leaving her mistress and the feeling was shared with the rest of them. But the Emperor’s order was very clear and Eirtaé mentioned for the rest of the handmaidens to follow her out. Ahsoka lingered on the door, having followed Vader, and glanced worriedly at her guardians before stepping back and letting the door slide shut.

A deafening silence fell on the office, as Vader stood and gathered up the courage to speak. “Tell me the truth, Padmé.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, not looking at him as she hugged her knees to her chest. “I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t know why you’re apologizing. You need to tell me.”

“I’m pregnant.” The two words were whispered so quietly that they were barely audible. “Two months… I forgot the contraceptive…”

“Padmé,” he whispered softly and took her hands to pull her up. Parenthood had always seemed so incredibly far away for them, that Vader could barely register what was happening right now. “Padmé, why are you apologizing, these are wonderful news,” a very genuine smile blossoming on his face. “How long have you known? Why haven’t you told me?” His smile was pure and he beamed down at her in adoration.

She still wasn’t looking at him. “I didn’t want anyone to know.”

“Well, I understand it might be early. It’s alright to keep this to ourselves,” he nodded, eagerly. “It’s a private matter. Our family. How far along are you?”

“No, I just,” she swallowed. “I didn’t want _you_ to know. I didn’t want things to change. And I knew this would change everything.”

 _I didn’t want you to know._ His smile faltered and he shook his head, confused, afraid his hearing was playing tricks on him. “You didn’t want _me_ to know? But Padmé, this is my child. _Our_ child. Why would you try to hide this from me?” He frowned. “Of course it’s going to change things, Padmé, it won’t just be the two of us anymore. We’ll have a baby depending on us. It’s daunting, yes, but...wanting to hide this pregnancy from me is a bit extreme.”

“You think I don’t know that?” She snapped. “I liked where we were! I was _happy._ And now I’m remembering how all this started, and _him_ , and I know that nothing is ever going to be the same again, and I’ll start feeling choked as you’ll grow to hate me!” Her eyes were blazing and tears were streaming down her cheeks.

Vader pulled back, shocked. Was happy. Past tense. The feeling of dread, like someone was sending ice through his veins and twisting his stomach settled in. Did she mean that she was unhappy with this pregnancy? That their baby was… unwanted by her? “H-hate you, Padme, that's ridiculous. I don't hate you or could I ever hate you. That happiness doesn't have to change. While I know this was not planned and it has caught you by surprise, it's not a bad thing. You can't let Sidious ruin this, taint this pregnancy. Our baby is a blessing.”

“You say that now,” she whispered, “but we both know you hate that I don’t love you. That I might never love you because even if you heal every wound that my soul ever received, there will still be scars that remain.”

Just like that, the bubble that he’d kept around the illusion of their happiness, burst. His eyes widened and his mouth opened in a silent gasp. It felt like a heavy blow to the stomach and he didn't cripple over because of pure shock. Vader imagined it was going to take a while before she could utter the words, but they'd had some great moments over the past year that made him think she did love him but was still afraid to say it. The way she kissed him, the way they made love, how she would utter his nickname and ever tender gesture she had...hearing the truth, so bluntly, in a moment where all he wanted to feel was pure, radiant joy, was destroying him.

It was like the Force got quiet, disappeared and he became numb. He could listen to his own heartbeat, the blood rushing through his veins and it was the only thing connecting him to the real world. He took one step back, and then another. He shook his head, dazed.

Vader had no words. He didn't know what to reply to something like that. He still tried to open his mouth to speak, said something, nothing came out. Instead, he turned on his heel and left her office. He saw the handmaidens, gathered at the end of the hallways accompanied by Ahsoka and Shmi. They all looked at him as he left and walked towards them.

"Master?" Ahsoka whispered, staring in concern at him.

"Ani?" Shmi called, worriedly, and tried to reach out to him. Vader recoiled and passed by the group without a word, straight for the exit. "Anakin?" He still heard her calling but ignored, descending the stairs and outside, towards the speeder. Rex was standing guard.

"Sir?"

"Get out of my way, Rex, I need to leave and will be unreachable for the rest of the day," he said in a low voice and too calm for Rex's liking. The Captain nodded and stepped aside, letting the Emperor board the speeder alone.

* * *

 

Shmi knew her son very well, but to find him after the Senate ordeal was proving to be a very strenuous task. For hours, Shmi looked with no success. Not in the Palace, not anywhere in the Imperial Center. It was maddening. Then she remembered that with his new teachings, he must have found a new place to hide. On a hunch, she entered the Academy and searched until she found him in the meditation rooms, sitting very still, looking out of the floor to ceiling glass to the dark night of the Imperial Center.

"Ani."

Vader took a really, deep breath. "She's pregnant." His voice was barely audible.

There was no need to ask who he meant. “I thought you two were using contraceptives.”

“Last time...when I got back from Ahch-To… she forgot. We both did. We were _happy_ to see each other. Eager to be with each other,” Vader laughed emptily. “You know, it doesn’t matter. It happened and now there is no turning back. She’s pregnant and she hates it.”

“Anakin Skywalker, before you throw this whole thing out of proportion with assumptions and self-loathing, tell me what she _actually_ said.” Shmi folded her arms in disapproval. If it had really been that long, Padmé would have had plenty of time to terminate the pregnancy without Anakin ever knowing. But her son, as usual, was focused on the details rather than the bigger picture of his marriage.

Vader scowled. “She _was_ happy. Before she found out she was pregnant. She liked things how they _were._ Past tense. All in the past tense. She didn’t even want to tell me she was pregnant, Force knows what she was thinking about doing!” He stood, turning his back on his Mom. “Then she said and I quote ‘ _you hate that I don’t love you’_ and that she might never love me. I knew it was going to take time, Mom, I did, but to hear it so bluntly it just...hurts. I should be happy, elated!” He paused to take a breath. “And I’m heartbroken.”

“ _Might,_ ” Shmi repeated, sitting beside him and pulling him into a hug.

“Yes, Mom, please go ahead and choose her side, like always,” Vader rolled his eyes and remained still.

“There are no sides in this, Anakin. You both want the same thing. To be happy together. Padmé is still recovering, she’s only just learned how to take control of her life, and suddenly, her life is not her own all over again. It’s different when you’re pregnant.”

“We don’t want the same thing, Mom, we kind of never did. It was an illusion all this time. What I always wanted, for us, was for her to love me back honestly and for her to want a family with me. I feel like we lost all the progress we made in three years. She just told me how she feels, how can I ignore that? How can I ignore that she just said she doesn’t love me and probably never will?” Vader frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. “She’s miserable because she’s pregnant and an experience that should bring us together and make us _happier..._ is going to become unbearable. This is why I had given up the idea of having children, I knew she would never want them.”

“Anakin, what do you want me to say? That you should give up and divorce her? I warned you from the beginning that this was a risk. But you insisted that you could have your way.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “I know you love her. And I truly believe she loves you too, but she doesn’t understand it. Because it’s not the same for everyone. If you truly believe she’s worth fighting for, you have to stay through the bad times. You know that.”

“What do you want me to tell _you?_ ‘ _You are right and this was a mistake all along?’_ ” Vader snapped and pulled away, starting to pace the length of the room. “I’ve been fighting for _three years,_ Mom and I’ve done _everything._ Everything that you can think of, every single request she made, I complied. I thought bad times were nightmares that I could stop. I thought bad times was her treating me like her Master. I never thought that having a baby would be a bad time.”

Her last words kept repeating themselves in his head and he just shook his head, trying to forget it. “It’s fair that I am tired. To finally admit defeat. If she doesn’t love me, if she’ll never love me... then what is the point anymore?” He sighed.

“And what if you’re wrong?”

Vader stopped pacing. “Leave me alone, please. I need to think and your judgment is not helping me,” he scowled.

A muscle in Shmi’s face twitched, but she nodded. “Very well, _your majesty._ ” She managed to make his title sound like an insult as she left him with his thoughts. His hands turned into fists as he punched the nearest wall, feeling the duracrete break beneath the force he put behind it.

For a moment, the sound of the breaking resembled the sound of his old Master’s dry laugh. Mocking him and gloating in this final victory from beyond the grave.


	18. The Gender and the Lectures

“Sir.” Rex knocked on the door. “Sorry to disturb, I know you have lunch at this point, but the Empress asked me to tell you that she was having the scans done today to learn the baby’s gender. She said you’d want to be there.”

Vader woke up from his daydreaming and stared at Rex in the doorway. “Did she, now?” He drawled out, throwing the datapad on top of the desk. The past three months had been an awkward mess of trying to rule the Galaxy together while avoiding each other. It was mostly him avoiding her, since every time Vader saw his wife, her words echoed in his head and made him unintentionally recoil. Besides, the awkwardness between the couple hasn’t gone unnoticed by their closest advisors. “I’ll be there.”

“I’ll let her know, sir. It’s in an hour, so you’ve got some time.”

“Thank you, Rex,” Vader muttered, running a hand through his hair and tugging at its roots.

“Bet it’s a girl,” Ahsoka said from the corner where she was supposed to be meditating. “She’s gonna have both of you wrapped around her finger and then you’ll stop fighting because of how cute she is.”

“ _Meditate,_ Ahsoka,” Vader said in a clipped voice. “Talking is not part of it.”

“You’re not making it easy, you know. Your Force signature belongs on Kamino, it’s so stormy.”

“Then go meditate at the Academy, Ahsoka, it’s not going to get any better,” Vader replied shortly. “Obi-Wan would _love_ to fix all the mistakes I’m doing with you,” he said bitterly grabbing the flimsi with a trading negotiation for the Mid-Rim that he still needed to approve.

“Just let her apologize.”

“What would that fix, Ahsoka?” He sighed tiredly, staring at the flimsi and re-reading the first sentence for the third time, trying to focus. “Keep meditating before your next training exercise is cleaning the dusty holos at the Academy’s library.”

“Fine. It’s worth it to try and talk some sense into you. You’re both driving everyone crazy.”

“And you’re about to tell me all the reasons it’s my fault and that I am being unreasonable? My Mom did that already, Ahsoka, save your breath,” Vader’s face hardened and he didn’t lift his eyes from the flimsi but his hands tightened around it.“Obi-Wan will be waiting for you in one standard hour at the Academy.”

“For the record, I was going to say you’re both idiots who need to talk out your issues. Possibly by being locked in a supply closet together.”

“You’re dismissed,” he quipped. “I’ll see you at dinner if the dust at the library hasn’t swallowed you and your snark.”

“Yessir, your Emperorness, Sir,” she said, giving him a mocking salute. “I’ll bring victory to the Empire.”

Vader just gave her a very sour look that immediately told her how her following training sessions would go. Very slow and _very_ hard. “Leave.”

 _Nerfherder,_ she said through the Force as she slunk out.

* * *

Padmé sat nervously in the rooms that had been designated for her obstetrician, rubbing circles on her stomach, which now had a clear rounded protrusion of the baby inside her. She was dreading today’s appointment more than usual.  Part of her desperately wanted Anakin there with her, but she also didn’t want to see the hurt and disappointment in his eyes.

It was why she hadn’t managed to find the courage to apologize to him yet. And there was no guarantee he’d believe her even if she did. This was exactly why she hadn’t wanted to tell him so soon! If she’d just had a little more time, maybe she could have salvaged the whole disaster. Or maybe it would have gone just as horribly.

Vader entered the medical center rooms, after pacing outside for ten minutes, schooling his face in a totally neutral expression. He saw Padmé and acknowledged her with a small nod. “Padmé.”

“Anakin,” she whispered back.

“Rex told me about the appointment. Am I late?” He knew he wasn’t, but nowadays, talking with his wife was not an easy task to accomplish,  and every subject was a bad subject. Her stomach was showing and it was impossible to hide it. She looked beautiful, of course, but it had been unbearably painful to watch her stomach grow from afar and he was afraid that making a fuss would cause her to be even more uncomfortable.

“No.” She shook her head. “It takes a little longer because I won’t let her use the Emdees. She’ll be here in a moment.”

“Are we going to be mature today, or do I have to continue coddling you?” A woman’s harsh voice came from the other room as the door opened and the doctor brought in a large scanner. “Oh. Your Majesty. I was not aware you were going to be present today.”

“Clearly, otherwise you wouldn’t have just disrespected my wife in front of me,” Vader narrowed his eyes, the hairs on the back of his neck standing in the woman’s cold presence. “Do you accept this?” He hissed quietly to Padmé.

“She was the best obstetrician on the planet,” Padmé answered timidly, her hands curling around her stomach. “It’s fine.”

The timid, barely audible voice. Letting herself be pushed around by someone in a small position. The curling on herself. It was three years ago all over again and Vader felt incredibly frustrated at the prospect. “We’ll see about that,” he scowled, giving the Doctor a cold gaze. “Please proceed.”

Padmé let the woman spread a blue liquid over her stomach before the sensor was lowered over her. The doctor’s resentment rolled off her in waves as she fiddled with the settings on the view screen. “This would be far more efficient if you would allow me to use the medical droids, your Highness.”

“I’m sorry,” Padmé whispered.

“You _don’t_ have to apologize,” Vader interjected. “ _You,_ ” he spat at the Doctor. “Should be able to do your job with or without the medical droids.”

“It’s simply more accurate and cost-effective, Sire,” the doctor insisted. “The Empress is making things not only harder for me but for herself and the child by having me work with antiquated equipment.”

Vader clicked his tongue. “What makes you think I am worried about costs with _my_ child? Future heir to the throne? The Empress can do whatever she force-damn pleases because _she_ is the Empress. She says jump, you ask how high.” This doctor clearly was not passing another day at the Palace. No matter the state of their relationship, he was not going to allow a complete disrespect towards his wife.

“Heirs,” she corrected nervously.

“What?” Padmé asked, finally speaking above a murmur.

“Is it twins?” Vader asked, his voice softening, as he focused on the round stomach his wife had. Especially on the Force lives attached to her. _There they were. Two of them. Beaming brightly._

“It is. I would have known sooner with an Emdee,” the doctor answered coolly as she turned the screen towards them. “That is your son,” she pointed at one white shape. “And _that_ is your daughter.”

A boy _and_ a girl. Vader took his time, staring at the small shapes of the screen, memorizing them as a small, genuine smile opened his lips. Twins, he would be a father of two! “Twins,” he mused, his mind racing over the fact that in a short period of time he would have two small babies who he would love more than his own life. His daughter and his son. His heir and his heiress. His children.

Padmé’s hand found his own and squeezed tightly. His involuntary reaction was to squeeze her hand back, “Would you keep it up and give us a moment, please?”

“Of course.” The doctor nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her.

“I’m going to fire her,” he said calmly, his eyes not leaving the screen. “You should have done it yourself months ago.”

“She came recommended by the court physician both for her skills and her discretion,” Padmé explained, ducking her head in shame as she reached for her clothes. “I didn’t want someone who would leak the news to the media.”

“Blast the recommendation, she has been abusing her position and pushing you around. And you’ve let her. I thought we were past that,” Vader said, annoyed. “Even if you didn’t want to speak with me about it, I’m sure my mother would have been glad to help you find a more suitable obstetrician.”

“Can we please not fight about this?” she asked, her voice shaking slightly as she hugged him— actually hugged him. The cold gel on her stomach smeared over his clothes, but he was too shocked to notice. After his initial shock, Vader gently hugged her back, his hands on the middle of her back.

“I’m not fighting. I’m going to fire her, there is not a doubt about that.”

“But I don’t know any other doctors for this sort of thing.”

“I have someone in mind and she will be here tomorrow,” Vader stated. “Do you need anything else besides a new, competent doctor who doesn’t treat you like a nobody?” Had it been before Obi-Wan’s teachings, he would have snapped the Doctor’s neck by now.

“I want to keep working,” she told him. “In the Senate.”

“As long as your new doctor allows you, after a very throughout check-up, I won’t oppose. You will have to respect her warning and guidelines, however, just for your safety,” Vader conceded.

“I understand.” She pulled back, chewing her lip. “Anakin?”

“Yes?” He prompted as he looked down at the blue stain on his grey jacket, but said nothing.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’ll just replace the jacket, it’s nothing serious,” he said, shrugging. “Can’t be worse than engine oil.”

“No, I,” she swallowed, twisting her hair around her finger nervously. “For what I said when you found out.”

“Oh,” he whispered. “It’s alright. You don’t have to apologize for speaking your mind and I need to learn to listen to the truth with a better reaction,” Vader shifted uncomfortably.

“No, I didn’t… it’s complicated…” she protested.

“It doesn’t matter, Padmé, it’s already said,” he interrupted, clearing his throat.  

“I didn’t want to hurt you.”

He let out a shaky breath before gazing at the ceiling, lifting his shoulders. “Some things are inevitable. I didn’t want to knock you up before you were prepared for it, but it happened.”

“I hate it too.”

“Yes, I’ve realized that. Since the beginning,” Vader said painfully.

Padmé looked at him in surprise. “What are you talking about?”

“This pregnancy. You never wanted it,” he pointed out. “I did not get you pregnant on purpose, you know, but I should have been more careful. After all, it was in our  _initial_ guidelines, remember? I can’t blame you for being—”

“Ani, _I_ hate that I don’t love you!” she shouted tearfully.

Vader remained stoic. He licked his lips and shrugged. “I can’t do anything about that,” he whispered.

“I know. And you don’t have to. It’s not my fault I’m broken.”

“I’m not capable of having this discussion again,” he almost choked up. “I feel like we are back three years ago. That all of the progress was lost because we made a mistake. You say that you are broken but maybe that’s because you feel comfortable in that feeling, have you thought about that? I’ve tried non-stop for three years to give you the tools to end that, but you never gave them any use. You’re broken because you are letting him win. Again. I can’t keep repeating myself, Padmé. You’ll need to figure it out on your own.”

“I’m trying,” she insisted. “I swear, I am.”

“Good, because as much as you… _don’t_ love me… the babies that you are carrying are going to need you to love _them_ . They won’t understand or care that you’re _broken._ They’ll just plainly need you.”

“I want to…” she sighed, wiping away her tears.

“Well, you better try harder because _they_ already love you. I can feel it. They love the sound of your voice and hate it when you are in distress. Just because you have been broken, it does mean that you have to break _their_ hearts,” he swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked down at her stomach and lightly touched it with his fingertips.

Padmé pulled away, grabbing the outer layer of her dress and wrapping it around her body as she hurried from the room. He could hear her crying as she left. Gathering control of his own emotions, he stood up straighter. He had a Doctor to fire and he needed to speak with Vokara Che to give her the position.

* * *

“M-My lady,” Rabé said, alarmed, as she was suddenly faced with her mistress. “We weren’t expecting you back so soon. How was the appointment?” She looked behind her shoulder, biting her lower lip.

“Twins,” Padmé said, sinking down on the bed very sullenly. “A boy and a girl.”

“Those are... that is wonderful news, Isn’t it, my lady?” Rabé smiled widely.

“Maybe if I hadn’t ruined things with Anakin  _again._ ” The Empress buried her face in her pillow and Yané clicked her tongue.

“Nonsense. You’re being overly dramatic.”

“Yané!” Saché hissed from her seat by the window where she’d been knitting a pair of baby socks. “You can’t say such things!”

“We will need a bigger nursery, though,” Dormé sighed under her breath.

“Well, what did the Emperor said about the news? He was ecstatic, of course,” Eirtaé threw Dormé a look and sat by Padmé’s side.

“At first,” Padmé said miserably. “And then I ruined it.”

“What was it this time?” Sabé asked patiently as she closed her HoloBook on newborns. “You would think two little ones would bring you together.”

“I tried to apologize, and it just fell apart into an awful mess!”

“If at first, you don’t succeed, try again. It’s essential that you are at least on speaking terms for when the little ones arrive,” Eirtaé said kindly. “It might look messy, but there is always a solution.”

“I’m always trying!” Padmé insisted. “You know that!”

The handmaidens exchanged glances and Eirtaé decided to approach the subject differently. “How do you feel about the news? A son and a daughter. Twins.”

“I’m happy. Of course I am!” Padmé tossed aside the pillow. “Any of us would be delighted.” There was a moment of silence as the others exchanged glances. Padmé was right; multiple births were considered a sign of the goddesses’ favor on Naboo. It was an omen of good fortune.

“Have you told him that?” Dormé asked. “That you _are_ happy about the babies? That you are _delighted_ with the news? Does he know?” She pressured.

“We didn’t… not exactly…”

“You ought to be ashamed of yourself.” Once again, it was Yané who spoke, boldly and frankly. “You’re acting like a coward and a child and not at all like the Queen we all swore to serve.”

“ _Yané!”_ Eirtaé said, scandalized.

“She needs some tough love, Eirtaé, step aside,” Sabé pointed out. “Padmé, we adore you. We would die for you. You know that. We only want your happiness and watching you throw it out of the window is hard for us.”

“You’re handling that pregnancy like a bill of the Senate that you have to pass,” Rabé said, a bit more timidly. “Most women at this stage would have a whole plan set up. The nursery, baby names, reading countless of parenting holos. So many things to prepare for the arrival of the two little ones.”

“Most women aren’t me!” Padmé shouted. “Most women don’t have nightmares of their dead husband coming back and murdering their baby before raping them again! Most women haven’t had what it means to love someone beaten out of them!”

“Then he won, Padmé,” Eirtaé said tiredly, sitting down and slouching. Every handmaiden remained eerily quiet.

“So everyone keeps telling me. Get out.”

“We will leave, but we would like you to go down the hall, third door on your right,” Sabé grabbed her things and stood up.

“We wanted to surprise you,” Dormé added, following Sabé. “Do something positive for the little Prince _and_ Princess.”

One by one, the handmaidens left, until Eirtaé remained, lingering in the doorway. “We are here for you,” she stated before effectively leaving. Padmé lay on the bed for a few more minutes before sighing and getting up to follow them to the aforementioned room.

“What is...” Her exasperation died as she saw what they’d done. It was a nursery, painted to mimic the vistas of the Lake Country. There was a wooden toy chest overflowing with stuffed animals and other unisex toys, a delicately wrought crib with a crystal mobile hanging above it and by the window... “Mamma’s chair,” she whispered, her voice small and childlike as she moved towards the old rocking chair, still painted with the flowers of Naboo.

“We had her send it,” Saché explained quietly. “We thought you might like it.” Padmé didn’t even hear her as she lowered herself into the chair and slowly started the rhythmic motions, rubbing her stomach and humming.

“Now, Sabé,” Eirtaé whispered. “Go find him. We need to fix this.”

* * *

 "Lady Minara to see you, sir.”

Vader removed his legs from the top of the desk and stood up. He had been conferencing with Obi-Wan about Vokara Che and the Jedi had promised him that he would speak with the healer and get back to him in a few hours. “Let her in, Rex, thank you,” Rex nodded and stood aside as he let Sabé enter the office. “Sabé, is everything alright with Padmé?” He asked, frowning at her visit. “I’ve just found her a proper sentient physician. But she did leave the medical center in a rush and...I was going to see if I could find any of you and ask and…” he realized he was rambling and shook his head, sitting back down in his chair. “I’m sorry. What do you need?” Vader asked quietly.

“She would be upset if she knew I came here, but I refuse to let her keep punishing herself like this,” Sabé replied, simultaneously blunt and cryptic. “The nightmares are coming back. Not only that, they’ve been getting worse. We’ve tried giving her every remedy that’s safe for pregnancy, but nothing is working. We’d hoped there would be a reconciliation between the two of you today, but instead, I’m here. Begging you to help her.”

“The nightmares are not good for her or for the children. I don’t know about a reconciliation, Sabé, but I don’t want you to worry or beg, I am not letting her keep suffering from the nightmares. I’ll...I’ll be there,” Vader rubbed a hand across his face, frustrated, before leaning back in his chair, looking a lot older than what he really was. “Do you know if she’s...happy...about the twins? Or...or something...”

The handmaiden hesitated. “I want to say ask her yourself, sir, but circumstances being what they are… Yes, she’s happy. Twins are considered very lucky on Naboo.”

“Is she really? Because, for her, this pregnancy is being very clinical and I haven’t been able to discover if she’s glad it happened or if she regrets ever letting me touch her,” he said bluntly. “I can live with the fact that she doesn’t love me but I don’t know how I will feel if she doesn’t love them.”

“Ever since you found out, sir, she hasn’t _let_ herself be happy. She feels she doesn’t deserve it.” Sabé shook her head. “As I said, she’s punishing herself rather than try to fix what has happened.”

“You've known her longer. I'm certain she confides in you. Do you have any suggestions? I've ran out of ideas and my hands are tied.”

“We’re not having any more success than you, sir,” Sabé answered. “I don’t know if _anyone_ could get through to her. Short of some ancient Force power that can turn back the hands of time, she’s stuck in her own mind and what Palpatine did to her.” She turned and spat in the nearby garbage droid.

“I've done everything I can to help her. Three years, Sabe, and we were doing wonderfully until she found out she was pregnant and went back to who she was when we married and it is unbelievably frustrating and maddening,” he confessed. “My only hope...are the twins. I am hoping they will be born and I don't know, maternal instincts kick in and there’s a shift. This is not the pregnancy I always wished for us, you know?”

“I know, my lord.” Sabé bowed. “We’ll send you an update when she’s asleep.”

“Thank you, Sabé.”

* * *

  _She is on an island in the middle of a river of lava, a durasteel cage keeping her further trapped. Around her, the air is hot and acrid, and on a balcony above, Sheev laughs at her. “You know it’s pointless, Amidala.”_

_“This isn’t real! You won’t win!” She grabs the bars only to let them go as they burn her hands, and as she stumbles back, she sees that she’s massively pregnant._

_“I already have,” he sneers. “You will never be free of me.”_

_“Anakin, help me!”_

_Sidious keeps laughing, keeps mocking her until he suddenly stops, yellow eyes narrowing as he slowly looks down to see a blue saber running him through. “Traitor.”_

_The lightsaber pulls back and Anakin stands, taller than Sidious, bright blue eyes gazing at him with fury. “You’re not going to win.”_

_“I already_ —” _Anakin whirls the lightsaber and cuts off his head and Sidious’ body disintegrates into dark dust._

_Anakin steps forward and extends his hand towards Padmé with a smile. “Come home with me, love.”_

_“I can’t.” She gestures at the bars and the river separating them. “Just leave me. You’ll find someone better.”_

_“Do you want to be with me?” Anakin leaves his hand outstretched._

_“I don’t deserve you.”_

_“That was not what I asked, sweetheart,” he chuckles. “Do you want to be with me?”_

_She starts to cry, nodding as she reaches through the cage, only to pull back whimpering as the metal burns her again. “I c-can’t.”_

_“Padmé, the cage is in your mind,” Anakin says. “If you wish it to disappear, it will. You have the power here. If you need to build a bridge between, all you need to do is want it. This is your mind. Your life. He’s dead. Now...” he flexes his palm and moves a few steps closer to the edge, “Do you want to be with me?”_

_She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before running forwards. The bars don’t stop her, the lava doesn’t burn her, and suddenly, the air feels clean and sweet. As she opens her eyes, she sees them now standing in the meadows of Naboo. “Anakin,” she whispers, closing the distance and hugging him tightly, her stomach now back to its size in reality. “I…”_

_He laughs happily and hugs her back. “You saved yourself, Angel. I’ve killed him, but you destroyed the cage. I’m so proud of you,” he whispers as he joins their foreheads and laces their fingers. “You’ve won, my love.”_

_“I don’t want to lose you,” she admits, not letting go. “You’re more than I deserve and—” she stops as he lifts her chin up with two fingers._

_“I love you. I am never letting you go, Padmé. Even if it takes you a lifetime to love me, I just want to make you happy.”_

_“I’m sorry,” she says, crying again. “I want to, but every time I think about it, my stomach starts tying up, and I can’t breathe and I hate it.”_

_“I know,” Anakin says sadly. “All I ask is that you love our children. Please.”_

_“I know.” She doesn’t say her fears about the babies, doesn’t want to burden him with that worry. “I want to.”_

_“They’ll be fine, Padmé,” he reads her expression. “Don’t you feel them? The little flutter in your stomach?”_

_“All the time.” Her hands squeeze his, and the world dissipates._

She woke in bed to find him sleeping beside her, one furrow between his eyebrows marring an otherwise smooth face. “Oh, Ani,” she whispered tenderly, running a hand through his hair. “I’m never going to stop trying.” He shifted slightly beneath her touch and she turned around, cuddling close to him as sleep set in again.

This time, there were no dreams at all.


	19. The Fight and the Names

“You’ve been coming here an awful lot lately.”

“He’s hiding from Padmé,” Ahsoka revealed. “She’s been ridiculously hormonal for the last month. Everyone’s afraid of her.”

“An angry, hormonal, pregnant woman in a hover chair can be scary,” Vader said defensively. “Besides, it could be because I enjoy your company,” he pointed out. “You can’t listen to my Padawan’s snark and take it seriously all the time.”

Obi-Wan laughed dryly. “I think we know that’s not true. But I thought you and Padmé had reached a detente at least. Especially after Vokara took over from that unpleasant woman your physician recommended. What happened?”

“I've reached a decision that might have angered my wife,” Vader muttered quietly, looking at the ground. “Padmé feels trapped, that is why she constantly dreams of being in a cage. She needs the freedom that she never had,” he paused as he looked up to two very judgemental expressions. “I've begun the process of our divorce.”

“ _What?!”_ Obi-Wan and Ahsoka shouted in unison, dropping their lightsabers.

“What about the twins?”

“Did you consult with your mother on this?” Obi-Wan prompted. “This is a massive decision, it’s not just about your marriage, she’s also running the Senate. What about that? And as Ahsoka pointed out, there is the matter of your children.”

“Stop overreacting. One, I've thought about everything you just said. My children, the Senate, our obligations towards the Galaxy. Second, I don't need my Mother's permission to do anything. We haven't been speaking a lot, lately,” Vader explained, unusually calm. “If, after we finalize the divorce, Padmé wants to stay with me... I'll do things right by her. If she wishes to remain divorced… it's a decision I have to accept and live with.”

“She’s not gonna see it that way,” Ahsoka warned. “Not with the way the twins are messing her up. She’ll think you want to get rid of her.”

“I wouldn’t phrase it quite so crudely, but you’ve been very clear about your feelings for her, Anakin,” Obi-Wan added. “Offering her an end to your marriage might send the signal to her that you’ve given up and have decided to move on.”

“I want her to know she has a choice!” Vader stated defensively. “I took it away when we got married but I can give it back and if for that, I have to put my marriage on the line, I don’t mind. I mean, I do mind, I’m terrified she’ll want it and effectively leave me. She keeps saying she wants to love me, that I deserve it, that she _needs_ to and I don’t want her to love me like that, I want her to fall in love with me out of her own free will, no strings attached,” he explained. “The Senate will remain under her control if she desires. The custody of the twins will be joint and… that will be the hardest part for me if she says yes. I think I’m going to die if I don’t get to be with my children every day, or every hour,” he groaned, miserably, leaning against one of the pillars.

“You’re stabbing yourself in the foot with your own saber,” Ahsoka warned, shaking her head. “It’s going to ruin everything. I don’t even need a vision to tell you that.”

“Have you done that since your first attempt?” Obi-Wan added.

“No,” Vader replied making a pained face. “I don’t want to see my future, Obi-Wan, I’m _scared_ of it. What I also don’t need is judgment,” his expression hardened. “I get it. You all think I’m on the wrong side of the situations and I am ruining everything,” he scowled. “I don’t want to sound selfish, but has anyone stopped to think about my position in all of this? Of how I’m feeling? I should be having the time of my life, I should be preparing for the arrival of my _two_ babies and this has been a horrible experience in general. No couple should have a pregnancy tainted like this and I’m already feeling awful, so I don’t need you two, or my Mom, to keep badgering me. My _wife_ doesn’t love me. She doesn’t even know if she loves _our_ babies. As much as I try, she can’t seem to stop having nightmares about Sidious. My marriage is in shambles and I’m terrified that my children _won’t_ have a family when they’re born,” he exploded, feeling the room shake under his outburst. His breathing accelerated. “So give me a break,” he whispered.

“Oh, come on, Skyguy,” Ahsoka huffed, coming over to touch his shoulder. “No one wants you to be miserable. How Padmé’s acting is not okay. But it’s how she is, and we don’t want to see you get hurt again. If you really think this is what’s best, maybe wait until the twins are born? I mean, you haven’t talked about that with her much either and you’ve had a month to think about names.”

“A normal couple would have names by now,” he muttered, annoyed. Vader then took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders. “Alright. I’ll let the advisors know that for now I’m putting the divorce aside and after the twins are born, I’ll speak with Padmé and let her decide.”

“Best to do that sooner rather than later, considering how gossip travels,” Obi-Wan warned.

* * *

“Empress, I can’t let you in, they’re in the middle of—” Padmé shoved the aide at the door out of the way as she stormed into her husband’s council chambers.

“ _How dare you?”_ she shouted, slamming her hands on the table to support her weight as she glared at Anakin. “How **_dare_ ** you do this!” The entire council moved their chairs back, not wanting to be between their infuriated Empress and her husband.

Vader visibly jumped back in his chair, narrowing his eyes as the angry shadow of his wife fell upon him. The entire Council was reunited, his Mother included, who had stood up at the abrupt entrance of her daughter-in-law. All the advisors fell silent for the first time since the meeting began. “P-Padmé, maybe we should speak later?” Vader said, fearful that the wrong information had reached her.

“ _We’re speaking now,_ ” she snarled and he pulled back in alarm. “After everything we’ve been through, you’re just throwing me out? Is that the extent of your _love_?”

There were gasps and whispers among the group of at least ten people, and Vader stood up from his chair. “It’s nothing like that, Padmé, calm down,” he asked. “Shmi, could you please lead the Council to the throne room and finish the meeting?” Shmi threw a glare his way, unhappy with what she had just found out as well. He cringed at the look and knew he would be scolded like a toddler later, but honestly, he was more concerned by the burning rage rolling off of his extremely pregnant wife.

“Of course,” his mother said, eyeing them warily as she shepherded the other advisors out of the room. Padmé seethed, her eyes shooting blaster bolts at Vader.

“You’re a liar,” she accused. “Or are you going to deny your plans to divorce me?”

“I’m not going to deny anything, but I need you to listen why,” Vader sighed, conflicted. He was going to kick Obi-Wan’s ass for jinxing it.

“There will be no listening because it’s not happening,” she interrupted. “I’m not going anywhere. No matter what rationalizations you give me.”

Vader hesitated, his eyes widening in surprise. “You won’t accept it?” He asked quietly, surprised.

“If you want to get rid of me, you’ll have to kill me,” she said bluntly. “That is the only way I stop being your wife.”

Since he had begun the preparations for their divorce, a huge weight had been pulling him down. His fear of losing her, of her accepting his offer of parting ways, of not being there every day for his children. To hear her so sure she would never leave him, made him soar despite their still strained relationship.

Vader leaned forward, capturing her lips in the first real kiss they’d shared in _months._ They couldn’t be too close together, the twins were nestled between them already protesting against their Mother’s womb as his hands came up to cradle her face.

Padmé pulled away, shock and confusion overtaking her anger. “But I... you... I don’t… _what_?”

“I don’t want to divorce you because I’ve given up, Padmé, I wanted to give you a choice,” Vader explained, caressing her cheek with his thumb. “I took it away when I forced your hand in marriage and I wanted to give you a chance to choose me because you wanted to.”

“You were _testing_ me?”

“No. I was giving you the freedom to make your own decision. About me. I keep thinking that it was what I did initially, _making_ you marry me that is blocking your ability to love me.”

“Why didn’t you just ask me, then?” Padmé asked, clearly hurt, given the tears forming in her eyes. “Why did I have to find out from Yané?”

“I started the process, yes, but then I decided to put it aside until the twins were born and we could speak about it,” Vader said regretfully. “ _Yané?_ How did she get that information when only my legal advisors were aware?”

“She’s… not the monogamous type.”

“I see.” He’d have to find out who it was on the council who couldn’t keep their pants on and their mouth shut later. “Padmé, I never meant to hurt you, it was supposed to be a meaningful thing. A gesture. I never wanted to divorce you, it has been killing me that your answer might have been yes. But I wanted you to have that option.”

“Next time… no, never let there be a next time, Anakin,” she warned gravely, sinking into one of the vacated chairs. “Never even think it. I couldn’t bear it.”

“I’m happy to let this be the only time and happier to know you were about to beat me down because of it,” he smiled and leaned down to kneel in front of her, palms stretched over her stomach. “Hi, you two,” he whispered against the fabric. “I guess I got your Mom angry at me today, huh?” He chuckled and felt the beaming life forces vibrating at his voice and contact.

“No kidding,” Padmé muttered. “And it’s partially their fault, they were kicking on my bladder through the morning Senate session.”

“They don't mean to,” Vader said softly, captivated by their movements. “They are lacking in space. Aren't you, little ones?”

“Vokara says the boy is the bigger one. I was worried by that, but she says it’s normal.”

“Hmm,” Vader concentrated on their signatures. “They are both healthy. He's on the left. She's on the right,” he said. “Did you know your voice soothes them? It's when you're too silent that they kick harder. It's amazing how much they already notice.”

“The greatest dynasty of Force-sensitives ever,” Padmé said ruefully, her mind clearly far away. The nightmares suddenly made even more sense.

Vader froze, looking up at her. “Is... is that what has been bothering you all along? Sidious’ old, stupid prophecy about a dynasty?”

“I’m not doing it on purpose,” she pointed out coolly. “And I don’t want this to turn into another fight. I’m too tired for that, Ani.”

“I am tired of fighting altogether, Padmé, it’s ruining everything,” Vader sighed. “I know you are not doing it on purpose, but you can’t be so clinical about our babies because of a stupid prophecy no one knows or even believes,” he added. “Tell me the truth, what is on your mind?”

“I’m worried we might lose one of them. Or both of them to the Dark Side. That I’m going to fail them in some way.” Her shoulders shook with a hysterical little laugh. “Force, I don’t know anything about being a mother. It was never part of my _training.”_

“You are being silly,” he said softly and kissed her stomach. “I became a Sith because Sidious raised me as such. He instigated the feeling in me and groomed me to be one. We are not doing that to our children. They’ll have the both of us, a loving family in Naboo with two wonderful cousins, a Grandmother that is about to snap me in half,” he chuckled, “there is Obi-Wan, Ahsoka... we are not alone, Padmé and we will raise them in the Light and they will be _fine._ Happy. Loved. I don’t know anything about being a father either.”

“You’re amazing with Ahsoka,” she pointed out. “Considering where she started.”

“Ahsoka was a grown woman when we met her and it will be harder with newborn babies that can’t speak. At least they won’t make snide comments or be snarky,” he said amused. “Besides, you never realized how good you were with her. The first time I pondered having our own child was at my welcome feast last year. You were being so, so amazing with her, I thought to myself that you would be a wonderful mother.”

“A mother who’s afraid of harmless babies,” she said sheepishly. “I haven’t even thought about naming them.”

“They love you either way,” Vader smiled. “Feel better about all of this?

“Much. But I’m still mad at you.”

“I deserve it,” he said, nodding. “What could I do to make you forgive me faster?”

“Well, my feet ache and are hideously swollen,” she said dramatically. “I could use some relief.”

Vader shook his head with a smile as he sat back and from one of her feet, removed a shoe. He began to massage her foot, looking up at her with a grin. “How is that? Closer to being forgiven for almost asking for the divorce?”

“Get the other one first, then we’ll talk,” she said, groaning in relief as he worked the tension out of her muscles.

“You need to rest more, Padmé,” he said gently as he took her other foot in his hands and removed her shoe to begin massaging her muscles. “What has Vokara said?”

“That I’m fine to keep working for another month,” she insisted stubbornly.´

“Are you really?” He raised his eyebrows.

“I could last longer, but the Senate is currently full of childish idiots who don’t know anything,” she complained.

“Let’s leave my Mom in charge. They will quickly fall in line and you will be able to rest more,” Vader insisted as he finished his massage. “It’s not long for their birth now.”

“Another month and a half,” she pointed out. “That’s plenty of time to deal with all sorts of banal details. Like the mountain of gifts that the twins have gotten from dignitaries across the galaxy. Eirtaé has a whole suite set aside for them so they don’t clutter up the nursery.”

“We need names,” Vader said suddenly as he stood up and leaned against the desk. “They need names. Have you given it any thought?”

“No ideas whatsoever,” she answered. “What about you?”

He kind of shyly nodded. “I did have an idea for our son’s name.”

“Tell me,” she suggested. “Maybe that’ll give me an idea for our daughter, and we can finally have an answer when people ask us if we’ve thought of names yet.”

“Well, it’s a simple name. I just love how it rolls off my tongue and I don’t know, there’s something about it I just love,” he explained first. “Luke. Luke Skywalker.”

“It’s strong,” she said, smiling slightly. “Princely. I like it. And I’m sure he’ll be quite handsome, just like his father.”

“If my vision was right, he’s actually my carbon copy,” he admitted.

“Vision?” she repeated. “What vision?”

Vader sighed, knowing he had to come clean about that particular part of his training he had never told her before. “Do you remember my first training session with Obi-Wan, after we had ended the Mandalore negotiations?”

“Yes, it ended badly, but you two decided to leave for five months anyway,” she said.

“You almost make it sound like Obi-Wan and I ran away to elope,” Vader made a face.

“It’s called humor, Anakin.”

“It’s going to make me gag,” he snorted. “On that day I had my first taste of foresight. However, I didn’t take it very well because I thought the Force was mocking me and my efforts to belong to the Light.”

“Just tell me what you saw,” she prompted, taking his hand. “Our son?”

“We were in bed one morning and then we had barely woken up and two little rugrats were already pounding on our door, full of energy, shrieking at us to wake up,” he laughs at the picture now as he can imagine that happening in a nearby future. “Then I see him. He’s standing next to me and he’s beautiful. He looks like me but he has your smile.”

“And our daughter?” She asked, eyes wide as she leaned forward. “What does she look like?”

“Like you. Except the nose. She has my nose,” he recalls, smiling softly. “They are a beautiful combination. We’ve managed to create two miniatures of ourselves who will never let us sleep in again.”

“Oh dear,” she laughed. “We’re going to have our hands full with Luke and…”  she paused, chewing on her lip. “Lyra?” The minute the name left her lips, she frowned. “Oh, ugh, no. Hmmmmm.”

“Lyra does not go well with Luke or Skywalker,” Vader cringed at the name. “But a name started with ‘L’ will be perfect.”

Padmé’s entire face wrinkled up in concentration, and even without the Force, it was possible to hear her mind working. “I think I have something.”

“Well?” Vader prompted eagerly.

“It means _promise_ in Futhork,” she told him. “Leia.”

“I love it,” he whispered. “Then we have a promise of light,” Vader grinned. “Luke means _light._ I think we just found the names of our two little ones.”

“I think you’re right. And the future is looking much brighter for it.”

Vader leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Thank you,” he whispered, lips lingering on her skin.

“There’s no need to thank me,” Padmé said, pulling him in for a careful hug. “I’m just glad we’ve gotten back to being friends.”

 _Friends._ He almost made a face but schooled his face into a blank expression. Rumors about the ‘friend zone’ were true and it sucked. He had not mentioned the fact that during his vision, she had used the ‘ _love’_ nickname on him and he knows it was the right call. “We are having two babies in a month. We should’ve spoken about this earlier,” he said. “What if we take the rest of the day off, go for a big lunch and then a nap? There’s not a lot of sleep in our foreseeable future.”

“I’d love to,” she said. “But you’re going to have to help me up and get back to my chair, I ran all the way here.”

“Sorry about that,” he said sheepishly as he held her hands and helped her up. “You weren’t meant to find out this way.”

“I think it would have been worse if it had gone according to plan. Labor or no, I probably would have killed you.”

“I believe you,” he nodded solemnly.

“So we’ve both learned our lesson?”

“I think we did. Thankfully, before they were born.”

“I want cake before we go to bed,” she told him.

Vader chuckled. “Everything you need, Angel.”


	20. The Delivery and the Confession

“Okay, everyone, let’s try the sequence again. On my mark. One, two, three.” Ahsoka called out positions and movements as she moved through the new batch of students in the Galactic Academy for Force-Sensitives. From the gallery above, Vader and Obi-Wan watched her.

“She’s a natural commander,” the Jedi remarked. “If this were still the Order, I suspect she would have been taking the Trials by now.”

“Watch your form,” Ahsoka said, correcting the stance of one of the younger students. “Try it again.”

“If Ahsoka wants to take the Trials, I won’t oppose,” Vader replied, beaming at his Padawan’s progress, but as a tingling feeling came over his body, he straightened his back, frowning. “Something’s wrong…” he whispered.

“ _Y_ _OUR MAJESTY!”_ One of the students from the medcenter came running into the training hall, a Twi’lek whose blue face was looking more purple now with her breathlessness. “Your Majesty, Master Che says you’re needed urgently back at the palace!”

“The twins,” he realized, eyes widening.

“Go,” Obi-Wan urged. “We’ll handle things here.”

Vader nodded blindly as he rushed out of the Academy. Rex already had his speeder ready and got out of the Emperor’s way as he entered it and took off, breaking every traffic limit of the Imperial Center. Rabé and Yané were waiting for him.

“She’s in labor,” Rabé said with an alarmed face. “It happened a couple of hours ago and it’s progressing fast.”

“She’s in the delivery room now,” Yané added. “And she’s been yelling for Ani. Best get a move on, my lord.”

Vader nodded and hurried inside the Palace, the staff getting out of his way as he ran through the halls and towards the medical center. He could already hear her screams and he burst through the door, Vokara’s voice was the first thing he heard.

“Calm down, everything is progressing according to plan, just stay by her head and don’t say anything stupid,” she warned.

“Padmé, I’m here,” he said as he got to her side and grabbed her hand. “I’m here,” he whispered as he pushed the hair off of her forehead, it was beginning to stick with the sweat of her effort and gave her a chaste kiss.

Padmé grabbed his hand as another scream ripped from her throat and her grip was so tight that he could feel finger bones breaking. “Don’t let him take me!” she shouted deliriously. “Get away!”

“My lady, you’re _safe_ , no one is here to take you,” Vokara promised in a soothing tone.

“Padmé,” Vader winced as he felt the pain in his hand spread. “Padmé, I’m the only one here.”

“I won’t go!” she yelled.

“No, you won’t. Because you’re here. With me. I am not letting you go anywhere,” Vader said, more forcefully. “I love you. I’ll always be here.”

“I gave her an epidural for the pain,” Vokara explained. “But it’s wearing off faster than it should.  I sense there is more to it than that.”

“Focus on getting them here, I’ll make sure she’ll be alright,” Vader said as he kissed Padmé’s forehead again. “Padmé, please, focus on my voice. I’m here. Look at me, love, look at me, please,” he urged.

“You’re not taking me!” Padmé writhed and twitched in his arms and whether it was the drugs or the twins’ strength being added to hers, Vader could almost see the phantom of Sidious looming over her, cackling in his bloodstained robes and the gaping hole from the blow Vader had dealt him. “I’m staying here!”

Vader leaned down and kissed her lips softly. “Listen to my voice. I’m here and I’m real. He’s dead, remember? He can’t take you or our children. They need to be born and you need to help them, my love, please,” he said and his free hand came down to lay on her stomach. “I can make it easier, they’re…” there was _something_ wrong, but their signature in the Force was strong, very strong, “waiting for you to help them out. _Look_ at me, Padmé. _Listen_ to me.”

“You need to give her more of a connection, she’s hallucinating,” Vokara told him. “I can’t get her to push if she can’t hear me.”

“I don’t know what else I can do,” he said worriedly. “Padmé, please, you need to come back to me, you need to come back to me because I can’t do this without you. I love you. I love you so much that I cannot imagine how life would be without you and no matter what happens, I will always be by your side, even if you never love me. We will have our daughter and our son. We will have Luke and Leia and they will make everything worth it because they’ll be the best part of you and the best part of me and they will teach us what we don’t know yet. _Please,_ please, just come back to me, Angel,” he squeezed her hand and joined their foreheads. “I love you.”

Padmé’s breathing began to slow, the spectral figure drew closer, and then there seemed to be a flood of light spilling forth from inside her. “I’m staying with the ones I love,” she whispered.

“Anakin, surgery may be our only option, she’s too far gone,” Vokara warned.

“No, she’s not, give me another minute,” Vader begged. “Padmé, can you listen to me? Please, look at me. They need you. I need you. Padmé?”

“Ani,” she mumbled, “Ani, I love you, I’m sorry, please, please forgive me.”

“I see the first head, get her to push!”

“I love you too,” he grinned and squeezed her hand. “But you need to push, love, okay? _Push!_ ”

Padmé gasped, gripping his hand even tighter as she complied with his instructions. He didn’t see what Vokara was doing, but he heard the sound of sticky flesh moving and then an infant’s wail. “Take him, his sister’s right behind him,” she said, passing the baby— _Luke—_ to one of her apprentices. Vader followed him with his eyes before he was snapped back to the reality as Vokara spoke. “One more time, Padmé, it’s almost over.”

“See him…”

“Not yet.”

“One more push and we’ll see them both, Padmé, you’re being so good.”

“Hurts…”

“She’s breach, I have to turn her,” Vokara told Vader. “Brace yourselves.” Vader barely had time to ask what that meant before Padmé yelled out yet again. And then another scream joined hers as little Leia entered the world. “There we are.”

“Lemme see,” Padmé said drowsily, holding out her hands.

“You did it,” Vader said, amazed as he followed Leia being transferred from Vokara to one of the apprentices. “You are the bravest woman I have ever met,” he turned to Padmé, only to see her eyes flutter. “Padmé?” He called in alarm. “Vokara, something’s wrong!”

The Jedi healer moved her hands over Padmé’s body. “She’s exhausted, that’s all,” she said reassuringly. “Why don’t you take the twins to meet everyone else, I’ll make sure she’s fully recovered.”

Vader looked at his wife, worriedly, then the twins’ wails reached his ears and their little signatures were drawing him in, calling for him. “You promise me that’ll she be alright?”

“On my honor as a healer.”

He kissed Padmé’s forehead before exiting the delivery room. The small, medical nursery was filled with two different wails, both of them equally displeased at the surroundings. Vokara’s apprentices had cleaned the two newborns and were currently swaddling them in their respective pink and blue blankets.

“Would you like to hold them, your Majesty?” One of the apprentices said.

“Yes, but I don’t know which one first,” he chuckled, eyes watering at the sight of the two infants.

“Sit down, your Majesty, and we’ll help you hold them both at the same time,” another replied with a knowing smile.

Vader nodded and sat in one of the chairs. Each apprentice took a baby and then, they carefully placed them in his arms. “The trick is to always support their head and their back,” one of them instructed, but he was too focused on memorizing the twins’ features to pay them too much attention. Luke had calmed down and his clear blue eyes were taking in his new surroundings. Leia was more stubborn. She wasn’t wailing, but her face was in a displeased frown and her darker eyes looking at her father in a mix of apprehension and confusion.

“Your Majesty, the Grand Vizier and your Padawan are outside. They’ve asked if they could enter and meet the new additions to the royal family?”

“Yes, let them in,” he said softly, giving each of the twins a kiss on the forehead. Shmi, unsurprisingly, was the first one in.

“Oh, Ani, they’re beautiful,” she gushed, hurrying to his side as Obi-Wan and Ahsoka filed in behind her. “Hi, darlings.”

“Too cute,” Ahsoka agreed. “I guess I should start packing, I’m never going to be able to compete.”

“Oh, you’ll be fine, Snips, you’ll be the best big sister for them,”  Vader said with a beaming smile. “They are perfect,” he whispered. “I’m a Dad. I can’t believe it.”

“Congratulations, Anakin.” Obi-Wan gave him a very fond smile. “Enjoy it now. Once they start talking, the novelty starts to wear off.”

“Don’t be a buzzkill,” Ahsoka scolded. “Can I hold one of them?”

“Let Shmi have her turn first, Padawan,” Obi-Wan told her. “They’re her grandchildren.”

“Go on, Mom, hold one of them and then you can too, Ahsoka,” Vader chuckled. “They're being very good. Leia is, however, fussy.”

“Then we know which of them takes after you,” Shmi teased her son. Ahsoka took Luke, bouncing him slightly.

“We’re gonna have so much fun, little Skyguy,” she promised. Luke fussed and squirmed for a moment, then settled down, sighing sweetly.

“Anakin,” Vokara stuck her head through the door. “There’s something that needs to be discussed.”

Vader nodded slowly and stood up, carefully passing Leia to his Mother’s arms. “Is everything alright, Ani?” Shmi asked, as she happily received her granddaughter.

“I hope,” he replied in a whispered and followed Vokara out of the nursery. “How’s Padmé?”

“Better. We got through the afterbirth, and she’s resting peacefully now, but,” the Twi’lek hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. “There were some complications.”

Vader leaned against the wall and sighed. “I felt something wrong, but I was concerned that I would lose her in childbirth. But the twins are alright, she’s resting peacefully...what kind of complications are they?”

“I pray that I’m wrong, and I’ll certainly do more tests, but I don’t think it will be safe for her to have another child naturally. The years of supplements without results have taken a grave toll on her reproductive organs. It is an option to have embryos implanted in a surrogate, but another pregnancy could kill Padmé, and the baby probably wouldn’t live very long either. Queen Breha of Alderaan has faced similar challenges. All things considered, it’s a miracle that everyone survived this time.”

He became silent, the news of never again having a child shocking him. He had heard about the challenges Breha and Bail have faced and he was still lucky for now having two beautiful newborns. “Thank you for all of the help, Vokara, without you I think she might have been lost,” he took a deep breath. “She’s healthy and alive. The twins are too. I am grateful for that. We’ll be alright. Even if we can’t have more kids.”

“I’ll let you know when she’s awake. Did you want me to take the twins’ midi-chlorian count?”

“Yes, if you don’t mind. I would like to know,” he nodded as he went back inside to see Obi-Wan holding Luke. “Choosing your next Padawan?” He raised his eyebrows as he came to stand behind Ahsoka to peek down at Leia.

“And take him from you? I think not.” Obi-Wan said as Vokara approached with a blood sampler in hand. “Don’t worry now, young Skywalker, it’s only a little pinch.” His words came with a small vibration in the Force.

“Are you using a mind-trick on a baby?” Ahsoka asked in disbelief and Vader’s mouth opened in shock as well.

“Obi-Wan!” The Emperor said, scandalized. “I’m telling his Mother,” he pursed his lips, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

“Only so that he doesn’t make this more painful for himself,” Obi-Wan explained while Vokara pricked Luke. The older twin shrieked but remained still. “When we took Korkie’s samples, I was not prepared. It was very messy, and Satine would not speak to me for a week.” Ahsoka snorted.

“Who cried harder? You or the baby?” Vader teased as he came closer. “Give me my son before you mind-trick him into becoming his favorite,” he quipped.

“Very well,” Obi-Wan passed him back as Vokara used the second sampler on Leia, who was not nearly as well behaved as her brother. When the needle pricked her, she screamed and the beads hanging on Ahsoka’s montrals shot straight up with a blast from the Force. “You see what I mean?”

Shmi came to Ahsoka’s rescue and took her crying granddaughter from the younger woman’s shaking figure. “I have experience with Force manifestations like these,” she said with a light chuckle as she began to bounce the wailing infant. “There, there, baby girl, it’s alright, it was a pinch, it’s already gone,” she soothed but Leia cried harder. “You are as dramatic as your father, my little one.”

“I am _not_ dramatic,” Vader said indignantly and looked down at a drowsy Luke. “You are just like I imagined, Luke,” he whispered, running a finger down the baby’s cheek. “So perfect. You and your sister are definitely our blessings.”

“Is Padmé alright, dear?” Shmi asked.

“Just tired,” Vokara interrupted, sparing Vader the pain of telling his mother what had happened. He did not avert his eyes from his son as the thought of telling Padmé worried him. “She should be awake in a few hours and capable of breastfeeding them.”

“Good.” Before Vader could say anything, his mother hugged him. “I’m so very proud of you both.”

* * *

Padmé opened her eyes to find herself in the bed that her handmaidens had added in the nursery. Her husband was in the old rocking chair with two small pink and blue shapes in his arms. “Hey there,” she mumbled, slowly sitting up.

Vader raised his eyes and gave his wife a beaming smile. “There are two people who are very eager to meet you.”

“I have no idea what you mean,” she joked, opening her arms.

He stood from the rocking chair, carefully walking towards the bed. “They have been very patient, waiting for you to wake up,” Vader said as he first passed Luke’s little form to his mother’s arms. “As have I.”

“Hi, Luke,” Padmé whispered, hugging him close. “My handsome little prince.” Luke immediately tapped on her chest, and she laughed. “Just a moment.”

Vader laughed. “He’s hungry. I think he’s disappointed in me, I have no such attributes to feed him,” he joked lightly as he rocked Leia, who was still soundly asleep.

“You’re a terrible disappointment.” Padmé undid her nightgown and placed Luke on her breast. “They’re really both okay? I don’t remember much of what happened during the labor.”

“That’s hurtful,” he quipped before his expressions sobered up. “Vokara said they have a clean bill of health. _What_ exactly do you remember about the labor?” Vader was curious to see if she remembered her admission, her confession of her love for him.

“Pain. A lot of it. And you.” She reached out with one hand to touch his shoulders. “You helped me push away the dark.”

“Always,” he took her hand to his lips and kissed it. “That is all you remember?”

She hesitated, trying to recall anything else she might have said. “I think I might have said something. It’s a blur, but I felt… I didn’t want to leave you. I didn’t want to lose you or the twins. I wanted us to wake up together every morning and take trips to Varykino and I wanted us to have more babies and to do it properly this time, and I wanted to be with you.”

At the last statement, he looked down at Leia and caressed her cheek. “I know, love, I wanted all of that too. But there is something I need to tell you,” he said, voice shaking at his last sentence.

“What’s wrong?” She held Luke a little tighter. “Ani, what don’t I know? You’re not about to bring back the divorce now, are you? When I finally know I love you?”

He smiled, looking up at her with nothing but pure love in his eyes. “I know, you told me while you were in labor,” he said. “No, no divorce talk whatsoever, I promise,” Vader vowed. He took a deep breath, bracing himself for the conversation that would follow. “There were complications during the birth, Padmé.”

“What do you mean? Don’t talk in riddles, just the facts.”

“The years of supplements took a toll on your reproductive organs and with the birth of the twins, they’ve sustained severe damage and…” he bit his lower lip, nervous. He glanced at Luke, who eagerly sucked on his mother’s breast and then at Leia who was showing the first signs of waking up. “Angel, you and I, we can’t have more children. It would put a great strain on your body and it would kill you.”

“Oh.” That was all she said, one small, sad syllable.

“If there comes a time where we do want another child, if we feel like it’s missing, we will have options.”

“It won’t be the same…” she said hollowly. “All those moments I let slip away… it’s not fair… I’m so sorry…”

“You have nothing to apologize and I know, I know we could have enjoyed this pregnancy a lot more. That is on both of us. We took it for granted. But, Padmé, look at them. The real adventure is just beginning,” Vader urged, scooting closer to his wife and laying a hand on her knee.

“I love you,” she said, looking at him with tearful brown eyes. “I’m sorry I took so long to realize it. But I’ll never waste another second. I swear it.”

“I love you too,” Vader raised his hand to caress her cheek. “We are going to make the most of everything. I promise.” In his arms, Leia began to cry, making Padmé sigh with affection.

“Trade? Her highness calls.”

Vader laughed and pulled back, kissing Leia’s tear-stained cheeks. “She’s a little princess already and she _knows_ it,” he said, adoringly. “Trade,” he agreed. Carefully, supporting her little head and back, he placed Leia in her mother’s arms and took Luke, placing him near his shoulder and rubbing his back.

“You’re going to spoil her rotten, aren’t you?” Padmé laughed as she positioned Leia on the opposite side of her chest.

“Absolutely,” he confirmed.

“We’re all doomed, then,” she laughed, rubbing the dark brown curls on the top of her daughter’s head.


	21. The Party and the Mission

“How do I look?” Padmé asked, adjusting the white gem-studded straps of her pale blue dress. Vokara had insisted on her staying in the hoverchair for three months after the twins’ birth, apart from physical therapy to keep her muscles from atrophying, and she still had a month left. “Does it hide the stupid chair?”

“You look stunning and the chair is not a problem. A couple of weeks more and you will be on your feet again,” Vader leaned forward and kissed her lips softly. “And when Vokara gives you a clean bill of health, I’m whisking you and the twins away for two weeks of pure family time in Varykino.”

“What did I do to deserve you?” Padmé beamed, navigating the chair over to the twins’ crib. “Hi, babies, are you ready for your first party?” she cooed, reaching down to pick up Leia. “We’re going to let the whole galaxy see how beautiful you are, my little princess.” Leia giggled and grabbed at the curls dangling from her mother’s carefully pinned hair.  “Ani, can you take her? It took Saché hours to get my hair right.”

Vader took his daughter into his arms, blowing a raspberry on her little stomach, making her shriek in delight, followed by many childish giggles and as he came eye to eye with his daughter, Leia was still giggling, clapping her hands and her Force signature _elated._ “I love you so much, my little Princess,” he whispered, hugging her tightly, as Leia decided that _his_ hair was good enough to tug.

Meanwhile, Luke, let out a distressed whimper as he was feeling left out. His little legs kicked and he waved his arms, wanting attention. “Oh, sweetheart, don’t worry,” Padmé cooed, lifting him up and nuzzling his face with her nose. “We love you just as much, yes, we do.” Luke laughed, waving his arms in a clumsy attempt at a hug, and Padmé smiled. “That’s my boy.”

“Your guests are all waiting!” Eirtaé called from the hall. “You shouldn’t keep them waiting!”

“A Queen is never late, Eirtaé,” Padmé called back, smirking at Vader. “Next year, we’re going back to Varykino for our anniversary.”

“Yes, please!” Vader said, with a deep sigh. “Let’s make it a tradition. Isn’t that right, Leia? You will like the waterfalls,” he kissed his daughter’s forehead. He missed the Varykino moments with his wife and even if next year they would have the twins with them, it would still be perfect because it was family time and it would let them rest from the constant stress of the city life.

“But for now, we have to celebrate the fourth one by showing off these two.” Padmé tugged at Luke’s toes, making him squeal. “Oh, you’re too cute, I’m not letting anyone take you from me all night except Daddy. And maybe Grandma.”

“You forget Ahsoka steals them at every possible moment,” Vader smirked.

“If you want to give them to her, that’s your choice, but the only way they leave _my_ arms is if it’s to you or your mother.” Padmé turned the hoverchair around. “Now, come on. The sooner we finish with this party, the sooner we can go to bed.”

“Like these two are ever going to let us sleep,” Vader teased as he followed his wife out of the room.

The party was already in full swing when they arrived, but everyone quieted down at the sight of them. “Thank you,” Padmé said, smiling coyly. “These two do get fussy after all.” Everyone laughed. “We’re very glad you could join us here tonight.”

Leia, in Vader’s arms, quieted down and looked around the room full of people with big, brown inquisitive eyes. Her father smiled down at her before speaking. “We are very proud to introduce to all of you, our children and the heirs to the Empire and we appreciate the privacy you have been giving us,” he eyed the Holo Reporters. “Well, some of you anyway,” he said and a few reporters shifted uncomfortably.

“We will not be taking questions at this time,” Padmé added. “Today is meant purely as a celebration. Anyone attempting to make this into an exclusive will be escorted out.” She tilted her head, indicating her handmaidens along the walls. Sabé casually cracked her knuckles in a rather unladylike fashion and smirked wickedly. “Without further ado, let the party begin.”

Shmi was the first one to approach Padmé with an eager look. “Can I show off my grandson, please?”

“Oh, I suppose so,” Padmé said dramatically as she passed Luke into her mother-in-law’s arms. “Be good for Grandma, my little prince.” Luke fussed and squirmed at the transfer, but settled as soon as his grandmother started humming and singing to him. Shmi left, doing good on her word to show off the little heir.

“Padmé.” Bail and Breha Organa approached, their arms linked, though there was a small hint of sorrow in Breha’s eyes. “You look wonderful.”

“Thank you. I’m glad you could make it,” Padmé said graciously.

“We are very happy you two could join us,” Vader added. “I know Padmé values your friendship and I do too,” Leia was resting her little head against her father’s shoulder, her curious eyes surveying the two new faces. “Leia’s happy too. She’s just very antisocial,” he added with a small chuckle.

“She’s a beautiful little girl,” Breha said wistfully. “I’m sure she’ll be leaving a string of broken-hearted suitors in her wake when she’s older.”

“Of course, she can leave a trail of broken hearts but she won’t be allowed to date until... forty,” Vader stated protectively, kissing Leia’s head, the baby girl cooing at her father’s attention. “Or ever. Haven’t decided. Would you be interested in holding her?” He offered, watching the woman’s wistful gaze. “She is very well behaved,” he paused. “Usually. Most of the time,” he made a small face. “We’ll be nearby.”

“I would be honored.” Breha slowly held out her arms, carefully taking Leia’s little hand for a moment. The two-month-old’s eyes went over her warily for a moment before Vader was able to feel her approval through the Force.

“I think she likes you,” the Emperor said with a soft smile as he transferred his daughter to the Queen’s arms.

“Well, I like you too, Leia,” Breha said, taking the little girl and bouncing her up and down. “You’re a very beautiful child.” Leia looked at the Queen in wonder and giggled.

“Takes after her mother,” Vader said taking his wife’s hand and kissing her knuckles. “There goes our policy of not sharing our children,” he chuckled as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. “They’re more popular than us.”

“I’ll have you punished for this treason,” Padmé warned. “Especially if you dance with anyone else while I’m stuck in this monstrosity.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Vader laughed. “It’s not long now, love, you’ll be out of it in no time. Vokara says your progress is being very good.”

“It had better be.” Padmé started steering her way toward the refreshments table. “Do you want me to get you anything?”

“No, I’m fine,” he said accompanying her. “I can’t wait until your recovery is done. I really, _really_ miss you,” Vader whispered in her ear suggestively and kissed her cheek.

“Calm yourself, my love, we’re in public,” she teased. “And you look ready to tear off my dress.”

“I do not,” he said, flashing her a dangerous grin. “Besides, you do look extremely attractive in that dress, why wouldn’t I look like that?”

“Oh, _Ani._ ” Padmé rolled her eyes as she picked one of the cakes off the table and took a bite, the frosting smearing on her nose as she did so. “You’re incorrigible.”

Discreetly, he leaned down and kissed her on the nose, licking the frosting as he did so. “And you’re delicious.” There was a flash, and Padmé pulled back, scowling.

“And they’re in trouble. Do you want to deal with it? Or shall I?”

“I get all the pleasure of watching _you_ do it, my Empress.”

“Good, you might learn something,” she quipped as she moved towards the offending reporter. The two of them were so caught up in themselves that neither of them noticed the hooded figure in the back of the room, watching them both with savage yellow eyes.

* * *

 The Force shook Vader awake seconds before the alarms went off, jolting Padmé upright as well. “The twins!” she gasped, scrambling out of bed without even bothering to grab her chair. Vader was faster, running from their room to the nursery, where the two guards that were usually at the door laid dead on the floor, stabbed by what was clearly a lightsaber. He went towards the crib and it was empty! The window had been shattered, suggesting the assailant had not left the way they had arrived. His heart dropped as he searched the Force for the twins’ presence and they were there, highly distressed.

“S-Sir…” he heard Rex behind him and didn’t bother letting the Captain finish.

“Get this planet on lockdown _now,”_ he bellowed. “Awaken every single troop, scan every inch of the Imperial Center. No ship lands, no ship takes off. You hear me?” Vader shouted. Rex nodded, face hardening as he left, running.

“Anakin?” Padmé whispered, finally making it into the doorway, her eyes wide in horror as she took in the scene. “No…” Her knees buckled and she slumped against the door, sobbing in anguish.

Vader caught her. “I’m going to find them, Padmé, I promise,” he said.

“Anakin, Padmé…” Shmi arrived in a rush before her eyes widened. “Oh, no. No. Ani, the children…”

“I’m finding them,” he screamed. “Take care of Padmé. I’m going to need Obi-Wan’s help. It was a Force-sensitive being who kidnapped them.”

“N-no, I have to go with you, they’ll need me,” Padmé insisted, trying to stand on her own.

“You’re still on bedrest,” Shmi reminded her. “And in no condition to go on a mission.”

“But Luke and Leia—”

“They will have me and I’ll bring them home to you faster than you think,” Vader vowed. “No one is hurting or taking our children away from us. No one! I feel their presence in the Force and I will track them. Whoever did this is has just committed his last mistake.”

“I already sent word to the Mandalorian Embassy. Obi-Wan is on his way here now,” Ahsoka said, somehow materializing in the door. “He said we should use the Force to see if we can sense any clues while he gets here. The whole planet’s kind of in a state of alarm since you grounded _everyone._ ”

“I am _grounding everyone_ ,” he snarled. “I’m not taking chances. No one _leaves_ the planet until I have my children.”

“No, I get that,” the Togruta girl said hurriedly, her blue eyes alighting on something. “But did you notice this?” She walked over to the crib and picked up a small cluster of pebbles. “You guys never let _any_ dirt in here. This isn’t from Imperial Center.” She shuddered. “And I don’t blame you, I feel kind of sick.”

“That dirt can belong to many different soils, Ahsoka,” Vader said and raised his hands to touch the dirt, only to be invaded by a feeling he knew _too_ well. “The Dark Side... this dirt is tainted with the Dark Side, it…” He slapped the dirt from Ahsoka’s hands. “Don’t touch it. It _does_ make you sick.”

“But that’s impossible,” Padmé whispered. “Palpatine was the last true Sith. All his apprentices are either dead or you.”

Vader frowned in concentration. “For this dirt to be so rich with the Dark Side, it can only mean one thing. It comes from Malachor,” he stated and tried to be a Commander first and a father second. Finding the twins was the main priority and he needed to be rational and organized. He didn’t want to compromise their rescue.

“What’s Malachor?” Shmi asked worriedly, moving to take over supporting Padmé as she guided her to the rocking chair.

“A Sith planet,” Vader explained. “It has a massive temple beneath the surface for the Sith. Just like the now gone Coruscant was home to the Jedi and their Temple, Malachor is the home of the Sith and their Temple. Although, the only species that immigrated there were the Dathomirian Zabrak,” his eyes narrowed. “Maul’s species.”

“But Maul’s dead.” Ahsoka pointed out. “Obi-Wan’s told pretty much everyone in the Academy the story, just so he seems a bit more impressive.”

“Well, I hope Obi-Wan made sure the bastard was actually dead,” Vader hissed.

“If Maul _is_ back, he is looking for revenge,” Shmi sighed. “Revenge on you, for taking his place. Revenge on Obi-Wan, for winning. Anakin, you need to be very careful, Maul was always one of the most dangerous, bloodthirsty creatures I met.”

“Me? Careful? He took _my_ children, he’s the one that needs to be careful because I will show him _no mercy._ ”

“I’m helping you, Master,” Ahsoka said.

“No, Ahsoka, I need you here with Padmé and my Mom. To protect them.”

“And what happens if the two of you walk into a trap that kills both of you?” she asked defiantly. “Come on, I’m ready! You said I could come on your next mission!”

“This is not a normal mission, Ahsoka and this is not about you not being ready. It’s about me needing you here, you understand?” Vader said, a bit more harshly than he probably intended. “If this is Maul then he won’t kill us in a trap, he wants that satisfaction for himself.”

“If you don’t let me come, I’ll just hide in the ship,” she warned.

“This is not the time to get defiant, Ahsoka, I _do_ trust you and that is why I’m leaving their lives in your hands,” Vader argued. “I need you here to coordinate the troops. To protect _my wife and my Mom._ ”

The teenager scowled, folding her arms. “Ugh, _fine._ But only because I don’t want you to execute me or something.”

“Ani?” Padmé whispered, reaching out her hand. Shmi took Ahsoka by the shoulder, leading her out of the nursery to give the couple some privacy.

Vader knelt at her side and kissed her knuckles. “I’m bringing them back. I promise. And I’m killing whoever did it.”

“H-hold me,” she begged, tears streaming down her face.

He hugged her and kissed her temple. “They are going to be fine. All of us will. I promise, Padmé, I promise I’m going to protect our children.”

“I don’t want you to die,” she whispered. “I don’t want them to not have a father.”

“They matter more than me and if I die protecting them, I won’t care. They will still have their amazing mother and grandmother to take care of them,” Vader said and pulled back. “But that won’t happen. Because one, I fought too hard to have _this_ and I am not letting it go. Two, I am strong enough to defeat anyone who dares to come against me. Three, I have something to fight for. I love you. I promise we will all come back.”

Padmé sniffled and hugged him tightly. “Keep that promise.”

“Have I broken any of my promises?” He asked with a small, sad smile.

“Sorry to interrupt, but Obi-Wan’s here,” Ahsoka chirped from the door. “He said he’s ready to go whenever you are.”

“Get dressed,” Padmé said. “And bring them home.”

* * *

"Concentrate,” Obi-Wan reminded him. “He’ll be looking for anger to exploit. You can’t let him find it.”

“That’s nearly impossible. He took my infant children!”

“I know. But for their sake, you must try, Anakin. Malachor will be determined to tempt you,” the Jedi pointed out. “Considering your power. You have to be prepared.”

Vader nodded. “I will. My only focus is the twins. Saving them and killing the person responsible for taking them. Force, Obi-Wan, is like my heart was ripped from my chest when I saw the empty crib!”

“Saving them,” Obi-Wan corrected gently. “Thoughts of vengeance lead to the Dark Side. You’ve come too far to lose yourself now. Remember your promise to Padmé.” From his perch on the wing, Artoo beeped, telling them that Malachor was in sight. Both of them could feel its malevolent presence radiating toward them. “May the Force be with us,” Obi-Wan murmured, deactivating his saber and placing it on his hip. “Do you sense the twins?”

“I do,” he said softly. “They’re here. They are so scared. In distress. We have to find them, quickly.”

“You take the lead when we land,” Obi-Wan confirmed. “I’ll keep you covered.”

Vader nodded and as the ship landed, Artoo opened the ramp. The air was thick with the Dark Side and took Vader back to his worst memories. “I hate this planet,” he commented.

“We can agree on that.” Obi-Wan turned his saber back on. “The sooner we find the twins, the better.”

Vader initiated his bright blue saber and nodded. “This way,” he muttered. “I know the way to the Temple, that’s where they are.”

“Have you been here before?” Obi-Wan asked warily as they started their way into the pyramid.

“When I was young,” Vader said, detached. “ _He_ left me here a couple of days. To soak up the Dark Side. I wasn’t evil enough for him.”

“Charming.” Obi-Wan wrinkled his nose just as the door slammed shut behind them. “Oh, I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“It’s always a trap, why are you even surprised?” Vader asked rhetorically, as he looked around the Temple, sensing the twins. “They’re here, but they are definitely not alone.”

“It can’t be.” Obi-Wan winced. “It _is_ him. I remember that presence. But I don’t understand how it’s possible, I sliced him in half. No one should have been able to survive it.”

 _Kenobi. Vader._ A serpentine voice seemed to slither through the air and curl around them, chuckling menacingly. _Welcome. I’ve been expecting you._

“Next time you kill someone, go for the heart!” Vader hissed to Obi-Wan. “Maul, I want my children back. _Now._ ”

 _I’ll give you back one, but first I need to decide which one would serve better as_ **_my_ ** _Apprentice,_ the voice sneered. _If you want them both so badly, you’ll have to do better_.

“Anakin, don’t let him bait you,” Obi-Wan insisted.

“You will only turn one of them into your Apprentice over my dead body. Stop with the mind games, Maul and face us yourself!” Vader scowled. One of the stone doors rumbled as it rose, revealing the temple’s inner sanctum. At the center, beneath the spire that was meant to hold Sith holocrons, Luke and Leia were lying, tightly swaddled. And Maul stood directly between Vader and the twins, his legs a pair of twisted metal prosthetics.

“Did Master Sidious teach you no manners?” he mocked as Vader took one step forward, trying to soothe his children through the Force, but the clouded and intoxicated wave of the Dark Side in Malachor was making things difficult for him. “I’ll have to do better with my own student.”

“Enough,” Obi-Wan interrupted, stepping forward to stand alongside Anakin. “Surrender the children.”

“Or I’ll make being sliced in half look like a picnic next to what I’ll do to you,” Vader threatened.

“I don’t believe you have the skills to back up that threat.” Maul ignited his own dual-bladed red saber, spinning it so wildly that it came dangerously close to the twins’ heads. Leia screamed and squirmed while Luke whimpered and the Zabrak smirked. “Definitely her, then.”

Using the Force, Vader lifted and threw Maul against the wall and far away from his children, keeping the Zabrak against the rocks, anger pouring off of him in waves. “You _touch_ them again and I will make you regret surviving.” The entire structure of the Temple began to tremble under the weight of his power.

“Anakin, take your children and go.” Obi-Wan stepped forward, spinning his own blade before adopting the Soresu beginning stance. “I’ll deal with the garbage.”

“We defeat him together!” Vader hissed through clenched teeth, “I am not going to tell Korkie or Satine why you died and I’m certainly not going to be the reason. _Together,_ Obi-Wan and we’ll both leave this Temple alive with my children.”

“Well, don’t you two make a sweet couple,” Maul sneered, his legs whirring mechanically as he got back on his feet. “I’m stronger now than I was when you last got _lucky,_ Kenobi. But don’t worry. I’ll keep the pieces of you together when I send them back to Mandalore.”

Obi-Wan gave an uncharacteristic snarl and charged forward, his azure blade crashing against Maul’s scarlet one. Vader joined his attack. “Obi-Wan, the Dark Side is getting to you. Don’t let it,” he advised. “That is what this piece of poorly put together scraps is counting on.”

Maul gave a deranged cackle that sounded almost exactly like Sidious. “As if you aren’t letting it too, Vader. You were born for the Dark, after all.”

“Haven’t you heard, Maul? I am not Sidious’ son, but if I was letting the Dark Side get to me, you would be dead already for daring to think of hurting my children,” Vader said, eyes flashing dangerously. “Obi-Wan, think of Satine. Korkie. Don’t let this toxic environment get to you.”

“Enough talk.” Maul spun the blade, pushing both of them back. “Time to die.” One end of the saber sliced through Obi-Wan’s sleeve, burning his arm, and the Jedi hissed in pain.

“You’re right, it’s definitely time we got rid of you,” Vader taunted as he ducked and missed the Sith’s lightsaber and wounded him with a blow to his back. Maul released one hand from his saber and send out a pulse through the force, one that pulled a Holocron out from beneath the twins and launched it straight into the spire. Leia’s screams grew louder.

“Shall we let the power of the temple weapon take its course and eliminate all life in this galaxy?” the Zabrak taunted. “Or will you remove it and risk your own lives and those of your precious brats?”

Vader was momentarily distracted by his daughter’s distressed cries. The Dark Side was affecting them too and he couldn’t let them soak in it for much longer as he couldn’t let the weapon destroy the Galaxy. “First, we kill you. Then we save the Galaxy.”

“Such brave words, Vader.” Maul dragged his saber over the old scar on Vader’s eye, opening it anew. “Or should I be calling you _Anakin_ as the Jedi has? You’re no Sith, you’re using the name and the power it allows the way your spawn uses those blankets.”

“Enough!” Obi-Wan shouted, raising his own blade so quickly that he sliced through Maul’s arm just below the elbow. “Do not listen to him!”

The Zabrak laughed, pushing Obi-Wan back with such power that the Jedi was flung to the far end of the sanctum. There was the sickening sound of bones cracking as he landed. “Just us now, little _Anakin_ ,” he sneered, spinning the saber in his one remaining hand.

“This is why Sidious got rid of you,” Vader spat as he ignored the burning sensation in his face, using the Force to leave it numb. “Weak, pathetic and resorting to _traps_. You were never _enough_ and will never be enough. Darth Vader or Anakin Skywalker, I will still be more powerful than you ever were or dreamed to be,” he whirled his lightsaber and his attacks were so quick, so blinding, that Maul never saw it coming, losing the arm that was holding his lightsaber and a few of his mechanical legs. His now limbless body fell to the ground and he stared up with horrified yellow eyes.

“What… are… you…?” he croaked, the last question of a man who knew his death warrant had been signed.

“I’m not going to kill you. You will stay here and die alone,” Vader sighed and took a couple of steps back. “Thinking that it was _The Chosen One_ of the Jedi, _Anakin Skywalker,_ that defeated you. I guess the Jedi were right in that sense. I did bring the end of the Sith. Sidious, you... and Vader. They’re gone.”

“ _No!_ ” Maul shouted in anguish, and in the obelisk, the Holocron shook and spun violently. The entire Temple echoed its movements, and the twins’ cries grew louder.

“Obi-Wan!” Anakin shouted as he ran towards his children. “We need to leave. This whole thing is going to collapse on itself!” He looked down at the infants and soothed their cries with the Force. “Hi there, my little ones. Daddy’s here. You’re safe. Let’s get home to Mommy, shall we?” He whispered to them, as he caressed their cheeks and wiped away their tears.

“Arm... broken,” Obi-Wan groaned as he struggled to his feet, careful not to move his right arm. “I’ll try. Y-you, navigate.”

“I will, can you please just hold Luke? With your good arm?” Anakin asked, knowing his son was less prone to struggle. “If you drop him, Maul will look like a picnic compared to Padmé when she knows!” He gently picked Leia, holding her close to his chest. She sniffled and relaxed as her father’s presence soothed her.

“Not funny,” Obi-Wan muttered, carefully taking Luke in his left arm as pieces of rock began to fall from the ceiling. “G-go.”

Anakin navigated through the Temple, using the Force to push the rocks away from their path. The twins had quieted down, familiar with the people that held them. “We’re almost out of here, Princess, almost home,” he whispered to his daughter, kissing her head.

“Anakin, the door!” Obi-Wan shouted. “It’s still closed!”

He stopped and focused. With one arm he held his daughter and extended the other towards the door. It was strenuous, the Temple was rejecting his energy, the Light it involved, but it was growing weak as the walls collapsed. _Open up, open up, I have a promise to keep!_ The doors cracked open and with a final shove of his Force power, they broke apart. “Let’s go!” He urged, running outside. Obi-Wan followed him, just seconds before the Temple began to sink downwards into the planet.

“Let’s… never… do that… again…” he gasped as their ship drew near, being piloted by Artoo. “That droid... is a marvel.”

“Impressive, it’s the first time you don't mock Artoo and his circuits. This planet _is_ bringing out something different in you,” Anakin rolled his eyes before reaching a hand towards Luke, caressing his cheek. “We’re going home, son, don't worry. You'll be in your mother's arms soon.”

Luke whispered and sniffed, Anakin realized he was still scared as was Leia. As the ship docked and the ramp came down, they didn't waste time, climbing it and closing the door to Malachor and its toxic air. “Good job, Artoo.”

The droid beeped, pleaded with the praise.

Anakin laid Leia in the cribs he had set up, before taking Luke from Obi-Wan’s arms and laying him next to his sister. “There you go, my little ones, safe and sound.”

“Anakin…” Obi-Wan sank into the co-pilot’s seat, cradling his broken arm. “Did I hallucinate while we were in there?”

“No, I saw him too. But, I realized something,” Anakin said as he put the twins to a peaceful sleep with the help of the Force. “If I ever had to fear a Sith. It would be you. If you ever decided to follow the Dark Side, Obi-Wan, you would be unstoppable. What I saw in the Temple was...scary. I am happy you are so strict with yourself about the Jedi teachings.”

“No, I mean I think I heard you call yourself the Chosen One.” Obi-Wan corrected as he started running his good hand over his injuries, healing it while Artoo initiated their takeoff. “But that can’t be right.”

Anakin blushed as he took the pilot’s seat. “I might have...admitted it out loud. Just to rub it in his ugly face. But don’t start _overthinking_ it! It was in the heat of the battle.”

“As you wish, Emperor Skywalker,” Obi-Wan smirked slightly. “Though you have to admit, that _does_ have a good ring to it.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” He said, smiling slightly. “Do you think the Galaxy would react well to the change?”

“I think you’re the Emperor, and they’ll get used to it. Really, the only person whose reaction should concern you is your wife. And I think she’d like it. Ask her once she’s had the twins back for an hour or so.”

* * *

Padmé pounced on them like a nexu on dinner the second they landed. “Oh, my babies,” she sobbed, taking Leia straight from Anakin’s arms. “Thank the Force, Mamma missed you both so much.” Satine and Korkie guided Obi-Wan off to Vokara’s offices, passing Luke to Shmi without a word. Nothing needed to be said. “Oh, Ani,” Padmé gasped, noticing his face. “Your eye! Are you okay?”

“It’s a minor setback, nothing Vokara and I won’t fix later,” Anakin replied with a smile as he caressed Luke’s little head and kissed his forehead. “I told you I would bring them back in one piece.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that I was worried sick the whole time you were gone.” Padmé reached out and found Luke’s little hand. “You must’ve been so scared, my poor babies… you killed him, didn’t you? The one who took them? He’ll never be a threat again?”

“I know, but Obi-Wan had my back the entire time,” Anakin placed a hand on her back and kissed her temple, lips lingering on her skin. “The Sith Temple fell on him. He had no way of surviving that. Maul is definitely gone this time.”

“Even so, I think we should keep the twins in our room. At least until we have better security in place,” Padmé said, holding Leia very tightly. “This cannot happen again.”

“We can move their crib to your bedroom,” Shmi said gently, rocking her sleepy grandson. “I can move too, find an empty room in your wing if you need me.”

“No one is going to get careless, Padmé. Not again.” Anakin vowed. “Why don’t you take the twins inside and set them down? They are tired and they need to feel safe. Meanwhile, I need to speak with Rex and lift the travel ban on Imperial Center, make sure we talk some strategy over.”

“I don’t want to let them go,” Padmé mumbled, but Shmi was already on it, deftly exchanging one twin for another. Holding Luke seemed to calm Padmé slightly. “Oh, alright. But then make sure Vokara looks at that eye.”

“I will,” he smiled and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be back in an hour.” By the time he was finally done with Rex and Vokara, several hours had gone by, and Padmé was napping on the bed with one of the twins snugly nestled in each of her arms. He smiled and then moved Luke from one arm, to lay next to his sister. He changed out of his clothes and slipped into bed, the twins now sleeping between the royal couple. Padmé stirred, turning her head to look at him drowsily.

“Hi,” she whispered.

“Hi,” Anakin whispered back. “They’re safe as long as we don’t squish them,” he chuckled. “They’re perfect, aren’t they?”

“Of course they are,” she agreed, running her fingers over Luke’s head. “You seem different. I can’t put my finger on how, but I know something’s changed. What happened?”

Anakin took a moment before replying, looking at his children’s perfect faces. “Vader died in the Temple. When I was fighting Maul, he taunted me about still _wearing_ the Vader name and it got to me. Why do I still call myself that when everything I have...was because I embraced Anakin?” He sighed and smiled as Luke stirred in his sleep and made a little face. “So, since I was ending the Sith, I knew I had to end Vader as well.”

“Oh,” Padmé nodded slowly, reaching over to take his hand. “I see. Do you feel alright? That was a big part of who you were for a very long time.”

“I don’t know, but I will be fine. I just have to learn. It won’t be hard. I have you. The twins. My Mom. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan,” he raised her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she smiled back at him sweetly. “And for the record, I think the Skywalker dynasty sounds much better than the Vader dynasty, but I’ll stand by you no matter what.”

“That is all I need,” he whispered. Padmé carefully leaned over the twins to kiss his lips.

“Good night, Anakin.”

“Good night, Angel.”


	22. Epilogue: The Training and the Family

“You’re cheating!”

“Am not!”

“Hey, break it up!” Ahsoka scolded, pushing apart the six-year-old Skywalker twins with a wave of the Force. “Your dad is watching.”

“Hi, Daddy!” Leia shouted, waving up at the viewing gallery with the hand holding her blue practice saber.

“I thought I told you both to behave?” Anakin said, amused. His children were fiercely loyal to each other, but their opposing personalities would often lead them to clash with one another, especially during their training sessions.

“Luke started it.”

“Did not!” Luke used the Force to pull out one of his sister’s braids and drag it over her mouth.

“Younglings!” Ahsoka groaned. “Come on, you’re better than that.”

“Luke, that was not nice and Leia, I know you’re not a saint  either!” The Emperor admonished them both. “If you don’t learn to train together I am separating you.”

“Sorry, Dad,” they chorused, falling into position like proper Padawans.

“You’re done for the day. Go wash up before we go home. Your Mom is waiting for us.”

“Race you, braid face!” Luke told his sister, taking off at a run. Alongside Anakin, Obi-Wan chuckled.

“I pity whoever gets them for Padawans. They’ll go grey within a month.”

“Oh, you mean you and Ahsoka?” Anakin replied teasingly.

“GET BACK HERE, SLEEMO!” Leia shouted and there was a dark ripple in the Force as a nearby vase shattered. Obi-Wan winced. Anakin shuddered.

“I see the Temple has… stayed with her.”

“Unfortunately Leia inherited my temper and tendency to the Dark Side, it’s something that I have being paying close attention to,” Anakin sighed, leaning against the railing. “She’s a good kid, I don’t think I have real reasons to _worry_ but... I can’t help it.”

“Of course.” Obi-Wan nodded. “It’s completely understandable. But she always does better after time with the family. You’re all going to Varykino tonight, aren’t you? Or does the tenth anniversary warrant something different than your usual vacation?”

“They’re staying with their Grandmother this year,” he grinned. “It was a fight, they wanted to come with us, but we promised them a family trip for later to a place of their choosing.”

“You’re going to be dragged to some garish amusement park,” Obi-Wan predicted.

Anakin shrugged. “It’s worth it. Two whole weeks with my wife. Alone. No kids. No interruptions. I feel like we haven’t have a private moment in six years, so if the price for that is an amusement park where the food is horrible and there are hundreds of little kids shrieking, I don’t mind.”

“We could always invoke executive privilege and have them open it on an off-day,” Padmé’s voice came from behind them. “Obi-Wan, do you mind if I steal my husband from you?”

“Of course not. I’ll go check on your younglings,” the former Jedi said, giving the Imperial couple a bow before heading downstairs to help Ahsoka wrangle the Skywalker brood.

“How are they doing?” Padmé asked, closing the distance between herself and Anakin by pulling him into a hug. “Still in one piece?”

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. “They need to work on their social skills, but they’ll be fine,” he kissed her softly. “They’re strong. Thankfully, they don’t know how much yet.”

“Mmmm,” Padmé nodded, resting her head on his chest as she sighed. “Maybe it’s for the best that they don’t have any more siblings. They’d probably terrorize them.”

Anakin snorted. “Poor kid, those two are not an easy load. They have the best of us both...and a little bit of the bad. That is what makes them so special. _When_ they learn to work together, they’re going to be unstoppable.”

“Force help us all,” Padmé agreed, leaning upward for a kiss. “They might be little menaces, but they’re ours, and I love them. That doesn’t mean I don’t have a few regrets here and there.”

“Regrets, you say?” Anakin hummed curiously.

“Well, it would’ve been nice to get a bit of a do-over pregnancy. And a little girl with your hair and eyes. I love your eyes.”

“I know, love, I think about it too,” Anakin confessed quietly, smiling as she complimented his eyes. “But we can’t change it now and we have to live with what happened. Besides, the twins give us _enough_ trouble and keep us busy all the time. You have to admit, there is not a dull moment in parenthood. Especially not with those two.”

As if to accentuate his point, a loud boom came from the communal freshers, the sound of running water and Obi-Wan yelling quickly following. “Oh, Force, you’re right,” Padmé laughed, shaking her head. ‘You’re lucky I love you, Skywalker, otherwise I might have left you to face the two of them on your own years ago,” she teased, tapping his nose affectionately.

He laughed, biting his lower lip. “Do you think they need me or do we just run away for Varykino right now?”

“ _Dad!”_

_“Daddy!”_

“Duty calls.” Padmé kissed his cheek. “Go on, Chosen One. The galaxy needs you. And I love you.”

“I love you too, Angel,” he kissed her lips before pulling himself away from her, shouting, “which one of you am I going to ground now?”

There were mixed shrieks as he met up with his children and grabbed each of them by the waist. “Leia did it!”

“Nu-uh!”

“You so did!”

“Not on purpose!”

“Maybe I’ll just put both of you polishing the marble columns with a little brush,” Anakin threatened with a little smirk.

“Their own toothbrushes,” Padmé interjected from the balcony with a grin.

“Aw, Mom!” Luke whined. “Come on, that’s not fair!”

“Apologize to each other and hug it out, and maybe we’ll reconsider. Right, Ani?”

Her husband nodded, setting them on their feet. “Only if they mean it. And _I’ll know_ if you’re faking an apology.”

Brown eyes clashed with blue as the twins silently faced off, their faces wrinkled in concentration as they communicated through their Force Bond. Finally, Luke caved. “I’m sorry, Leia.”

Anakin beamed at his son. “Good, good, Luke. Leia? Do you have something to say?”

“Sorry,” Leia muttered, not looking at her brother. “Stinkbrain.”

“Leia,” Anakin said, sternly. “Apologize to your brother now, or _you_ will be grounded. _Alone._ ”

“But, Daddy!” Leia pouted, widening her eyes as much as possible.

He clucked his tongue. “No, _Daddy_ , Leia. Your brother apologized and you are going to do the same or you can say goodbye to the HoloVids, datapad and training sessions with Ahsoka.”

Leia sighed, tugging at the braid her brother had pulled loose as she narrowed her eyes at him, then let her shoulders slump down. “I’m sorry, Luke.”

“Good. Now, you both know your Mother and I will be in Varykino for two weeks and I want you both to be on your best behavior while we are gone. If you’re not, your Grandmother has our full permission to ground you. Starting by pulling you from the lightsaber practice. Then, no Force training sessions with Ahsoka. Your studies will become dedicated to the Galaxy’s history and the reading of the Jedi antique holocrons, with a five-page report of each. You hear me?” Anakin bent down to their eye level and looked between his two troublemakers.

“Yes, Dad.”

“Now give me a kiss and I’ll meet you at the speeder so we can go home,” he smiled at them.

“Gross,” Luke muttered as Leia happily complied. “Kisses have cooties. Like Princess Winter.”

“Oooh, Lukey’s got a crush,” Leia teased.

“Shut up!”

“Kids,” Padmé reminded them. “You need to finish getting changed so that we can have dinner together before Dad and I leave.”

“Okay, Mom!”

As they ran off, Anakin chuckled. “I told you. Winter Organa traumatized our son.”

“She’s a sweet girl,” Padmé called back with a smile. “And they’re _six,_ it’s not exactly uncommon for them to act like this.”

Anakin climbed the stairs towards the gallery. “Yes, but Winter does chase after Luke a lot. Always with _kisses_ in mind. Is she training to be the new Empress?” He teased as he wrapped on arm around his wife’s waist.

“I think we both know Leia wants that crown more than Luke ever will,” Padmé pointed out with a smile. “And it’s just as possible that the girls planned it together to tease him.”

“My poor son,” Anakin said dramatically. “Leia does have the attitude, doesn’t she?” He said before they reached the speeder where the twins grinned at them.

“Come on!” Leia said, bouncing in her seat. “We’re hungry!”

“We know, sweetheart,” Padmé said as she got in the front passenger seat. “No speeding this time, Ani.”

“But…” at his wife’s look, Anakin sighed. “Fine.”

“That’s no fun,” Luke pouted.

“Yes, but there’s going to be plenty of fun later to make up for it,” Padmé said, putting a hand on Anakin’s shoulder so she could lean in and whisper in his ear, “fun like me tying you down on the bed when we get to Varykino.”

Anakin suppressed a groan for the sake of his children. “You’re _killing_ me here, Angel,” he whispered right back. “I can’t do anything to you in front of our _innocent_ children.”

“Whatcha talking about?” Leia quipped.

“Grown-up things,” Padmé answered. “We’ll tell you in all about it in ten years when you start dating.”

“Forty for you, Princess,” Anakin said.

“Sweet!” Luke snickered at his sister’s horrified face.

“That’s not fair!”

“Both of you, stop or neither of you is dating until you’re a hundred. Your dad and I will haunt you just to make sure.”

“Luke’s never going to date because he’s afraid of _girl cooties,”_  Leia teased.

“You’re never going to date because _Dad_ will terrify every boy,” Luke retorted.

“Pretty much,” Anakin muttered.

“The boy I marry is never going to be afraid of anything, just like Daddy,” Leia said, beaming at her father. “And he’s going to love me just as much as you love Mom, he’ll do anything for me.”

“Well…” Padmé reached up, tucking back a strand of hair behind Anakin’s ear. “Hard to argue with that.”

“I can’t really complain about a guy like that, can I?” He turned his head to kiss her palm.

“No, they make very patient, dedicated husbands.” She lifted his chin so that she could claim his lips with hers. “I love you, Anakin Skywalker. And I’m glad you waited for me.”

“I love you and I would wait for you for a thousand years, Padmé Amidala Skywalker.”

From the back seats, the twins made disgusted sounds. “Stop it!”

“Buckle your seatbelts, then, and we’ll take this to Varykino after dinner,” Padmé promised, giving Anakin a knowing wink. “You know what? I changed my mind. Step on it.”

He didn’t need to be told twice.


End file.
